Igikiro Boys' Kenyatta dormitory destroyed by arsonists

Police in Murang'a South are holding seven(7) suspects--six students and a boda boda rider--over the Saturday arson against Igikiro Boys' High School's Kenyatta dormitory.

The same dormitory had been razed down in 2021 where police arrested two(2) pupils and a boda boda rider, then putting the total loss at Sh3 million affecting 60 pupils.

In the Saturday fire, police said the loss was estimated at Sh4 million affecting 63 students who were left with no place to sleep, clothes and books destroyed as well some getting traumatized.

According to police incident report about the incident--prepared by area in-charge of Directorate of Investigations (DCI) Mr John Kanda, the boda boda rider is suspected to have supplied flammable material for the arson.

"At about 8am on Saturday May 10, 2025, a distress call was received from the management of the school that the dormitory was on fire," the report reads.

Police and firefighters helped by neighbours battled the fire, the report reads, and fortunately all lodgers had left the dormitory for their lessons.

"However, students got angry seeing the damage the fire had caused and immediately apprehended three of their colleagues in connection with the fire," the report reads.

It was after the three(3) were interrogated that three more pupils and a boda boda rider were apprehended.

The school's principal Mr John Kimani said he could only give a statement after security agencies cleared several aspects of the fire.

"What there is as is clear is that we have a fire accident affecting our school. Beyond that is for investigating agencies to proceed and give us a report," he said.

It was during interrogations that it emerged there was a possibility of involvement of an outsider whose role is subject to establishment whether he supplied petrol for the arson attack.

Mr Kanda urged all stakeholders to exercise patience as his department moves to establish all the facts surrounding the fire.

Ms Grace Wangari, who is a parent at the school, lamented that "we are the ones who end up being the real victims since we will one more time finance rebuilding of the dormitory".

She said she had her son in Form Three in 2021 and each parent was forced to pay Sh12,000 for catering for the loss.

"Now I have a son in Form Two in the same school and I'm now apprehensive that rising cost of living will make us be charged more in reconstruction fees," she said.

Ms Wangari said "we should speak to our children and try to reason with them...that some of their actions are too painful for us as parents and will also impact on their quality of life back home".

She said the Sh12,000 she paid in 2021 as destruction fees was enough to improve the quality of life for her family in a big way.

"I would urge investigators to instead of charging the whole population of parents be establishing the criminals behind arson incidents in schools and be charging their parents," she said.

Murang'a County Youth Forum chairman Mixson Warui introduced another dimension to the school fires tragedies saying "development committees in those schools together with managers of devolved funds should be investigated".

He said there are suspicions that those committees sponsor arson cases in schools so as to come up with response budgets to help the students and reconstruct destroyed infrastructure.

President William Ruto during his recent visit in Maragua Constituency promised the school Sh20 million for infrastructure development.

Mr Kanda urged petrol stations in the area to exercise diligence while selling flammables to customers carrying Jerry cans.

"We know this is hard to do, but if your instincts raise doubts on intentions of the customer, don't serve him/her and it's also advisable to call the police," he said.

The incident follows the Wednesday jailing of a suspect by a Kigumo Law Court who previous day had been caught trying to sneak petrol into Kabaro Girls' High School in Murang'a.

Mr Victor Erastus Karanja, who was working as a mason in the school, was fined Sh50,000 and also serve a year in jail.

The suspect had also been charged with being in possession of a 750ml bottle of hard liquor suspected to have been intended to reach part of the girls population.

Mr Kanda said vigilance continues, urging members of the public to partner with security agents to battle criminals negatively influencing young minds in the society.

"How much can a bunch of schoolchildren pay you so as to carry such an errand of availing to them materials to facilitate execution of arson?" he posed.