Students at Musingu High School count losses after the fire caused by an electric fault. [Duncan Ocholla]
Property of an unknown value was reduced to ashes after fire razed down a dormitory at Musingu Boys High School in Kakamega on Saturday morning.
The fire is said to have been caused by an electric fault.
The dormitory housed Form One and Three students who are at home for the holidays.
Nothing was salvaged.
SEE ALSO :CBC will exacerbate economic inequality and burden parentsThis comes barely two months after another dormitory went up in flames rendering over 120 students homeless. The cause of the fire was also an electric fault and had just been in use for three months.
In an interview with the media yesterday, Benson Lukuyi, the school principal, said an electric fault was the cause of the fire after a welding machine that was being used to repair windows at the dormitory exploded.
“Madaraka Taifa dormitory was housing books, lockers, mattresses and other personal effects for the students and we had workers repairing windows and doors so that ones we close for the December holidays their property will be safe,” said Lukuyi.
For More of This and Other Stories, Grab Your Copy of the Standard Newspaper.
Lukuyi said around 9.30am, the welding machine exploded and set the dormitory on fire, saying nothing had been salvaged and that they had not quantified the amount of the loss that had been caused by the fire.
The principal assured parents that the 354 candidates who are sitting for the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams were safe and that there was no need for alarm, saying the exams will continue uninterrupted.
SEE ALSO :Sh6b to improve facilities in schools“The candidates are safe and we have talked to them to remain calm as the management is sorting out the issue. There is no cause for alarm and parents should not panic over the safety of their children,” said Lukuyi.
Kakamega Sub County Police Commander, Joseph Chesire, confirmed the incident saying investigations have been launched to ascertain what really caused the inferno.
Erstwhile Kakamega Senator Bonni Khalwale, who is the immediate neighbour of the school and an old boy, was among the first leaders to arrive at the scene when the incident happened.
Khalwale asked parents to remain calm as the situation has been put under control.
“We want the contractor who constructed the Oparanya dormitory a few months ago to be recalled and write a statement over the matter since after he completed wiring, it’s when fire incidents started being reported,” said Khalwale.
SEE ALSO :Magoha faults universities for duplicating coursesAccording to Khalwale, those who carried out the wiring might have been used substandard materials and that they should afresh wiring at the school at their own cost, saying the losses being experienced was as a result of their shoddy work.
Do not miss out on the latest news. Join the Standard Digital Telegram channel HERE.
Related Topics
EducationKenya Certificate of Secondary EducationKCSEMusingu Boys High School
