Cornelius Gachanja, an eighth-grade student at Hillside Endarasha Academy, was asleep in the dormitory when he suddenly felt the need to go to the washroom. As he walked towards the restroom, he noticed a fire and was startled by the screams of other students near the flames. Realizing the danger, Gachanja quickly woke his nearby classmates, and they all evacuated the building.
Speaking with Gachanja at Mt. Kenya Hospital near Nyeri, where his father, Patrick Gikandi, recounted his distress upon learning about the fire. Gikandi initially received news of the blaze from a fellow parent who had arrived at the school and confirmed that his son was safe. “This information was a relief, but I still contacted a teacher who assured me of my son’s safety,” he said.
Despite the good news about his own child, Gikandi expressed deep concern for the other families affected by the tragedy. “I prayed for the families of those who lost their children and for the recovery of the hospitalized students,” he said. After visiting the school in the morning, he witnessed the profound grief of other parents and continues to pray for their comfort. Gikandi believes that both teachers and students will need psychological support to cope with the incident and plans to return his child to the school once investigations are complete. “This was an accident, and accidents can happen anywhere. The school is still a good one,” he noted.
Another parent, Titus Tatua, had just picked up his twins from the hospital. The twins, who had been in the dormitory, managed to escape through windows before the fire consumed the building. Tatua was informed by a teacher about the fire and was relieved to find his sons unharmed. “The boys saw the fire and quickly jumped out of the dormitory,” he said.
John Muchiri, another concerned parent, felt a sense of relief when he learned that the girls at the school were safe. “It was very shocking, but I was comforted to know that the girls were unharmed. I couldn’t sleep and stayed up waiting for dawn to go for my daughter,” he said.
Dr. Charles Ndirangu, the medical superintendent at the hospital, confirmed that about 70 pupils were checked at the facility. One student was admitted for further observation, while the rest were discharged. “None of the students had burns. They received medical tests and counseling before being sent home,” Ndirangu said.
