Endarasha Fire Tragedy: Investigations nearing completion, says IG Kanja
"I was in talks with the DCI this morning regarding the matter, and we are close to concluding it," said the IG.
Investigations into a tragic fire that occurred at Endarasha Hillside Academy on September 5, 2024, are nearing completion, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has announced.
While speaking at the Endarasha Police Station in Kieni yesterday, where he officially handed over a police vehicle to the station, Kanja revealed that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is finalizing its probe into the incident, which resulted in the deaths of 21 male students.
"The investigation is almost wrapped up. I was in talks with the DCI this morning regarding the matter, and we are close to concluding it. Kenyans will soon be informed of the outcomes," the IG was quoted saying by the Star.
The fire that devastated Endarasha Hillside Academy on the night of Wednesday, September 4, 2024, erupted in the boys’ dormitory, claiming the lives of 19 students instantly and leaving several others with critical burn injuries.
Following the tragedy, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga, directed the Inspector General of Police to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the fire.
In his statement, Ingonga emphasized the need to determine whether negligence or recklessness had played a role and warned that anyone found responsible would face legal action.
Initial media reports had pointed to a possible electrical fault as the cause of the fire.
A parent of one of the surviving students mentioned during an interview that the fire appeared to have started near the main entrance of the dormitory before rapidly engulfing the rest of the building, which housed 156 boys at the time.
However, this theory was later contradicted by Kenya Power.
In a press conference held on September 10, Duncan Machuka, the Nyeri County Business Manager for Kenya Power, stated that their preliminary investigations found no connection between the institution’s electrical system and the blaze.
He explained that the power supplied to the school during the incident was low voltage and stable. Additionally, their inspection confirmed that all electrical installations at the school remained intact.
"After conducting a thorough analysis of our protection systems—from the meter box all the way to the substation that supplies power to the school—we are confident that there was no electrical fault on our network that could have caused the fire, contrary to reports in some sections of the media," Machuka asserted.
In a swift response, the DCI revealed it had dispatched forensic teams and specialists to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy.
Director of Criminal Investigations Abraham Mugambi stated that the investigators would collaborate closely with fire safety experts and other relevant parties to determine the cause of the fire.