Ikuu Boys High School in Tharaka Nithi County has been closed indefinitely after three doritories were razed down by fire.
School principal Joseph Mbae stated that the Sunday night, December 12, 2021, fire started at around 11 pm. The dormitories burnt down had a bed capacity of 480.
Mbae told Nation on Monday, December 13, that 35 students have been arrested in connection with the arson attack and are currently being held at the Chuka Police Station.
He revealed that following the fire incident, 243 students walked out of the school, and though they safety cannot be accounted for, there have no reports of injuries that may have occurred during the commotion.
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The principal narrated that the school was peaceful up until the students retired to their beds after the night preps at 10 pm.
While in his office, Mbae spotted a group of students outside the domitories at around 10:30 pm through CCTV cameras. He rushed to the scene to try and establish what was going on.
He, however, revealed that the students overpowered him and the security guards and he was forced to call the police. They delayed to respond, so he drove 6 kilometres to go and pick them up.
By the time they arrived at the school, three dorms were up in flames.
Tharaka Nithi County firefighters managed to put out a fire to prevent a fourth dorm from burning down.
“When the police started shooting in the air to disperse the rioting students, about 243 of the total 1,030 walked out of the school and spent the rest of the night in the bushes, though some returned in the morning,” Mbae said.
The school's board of management agreed to close down the school and called parents to pick up their children.
According to Nation, students who spoke on condition of anonymity divulged that they were protesting harassment by prefects and punitive administration.
Parents and members of the press were barred from accessing the school until investigators had assessed the scene and collected all the evidence they need in the case.
