A fire broke out at Gacharage Secondary School in Kandara Ruchu, Murang’a County, on Thursday night, prompting an emergency response from county fire and rescue teams just hours after Kenya was rocked by another deadly school blaze that claimed 16 lives in Utumishi Girls Academy, Gilgil, Nakuru County.
Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata confirmed the incident in a public statement, assuring residents that all students had been safely accounted for and evacuation measures had immediately been activated.
“We are aware of the fire incident currently affecting Gacharage Secondary School,” Kang’ata said.
“The safety of students, staff, and nearby residents is our immediate priority. Evacuation protocols have been activated, and all learners have been accounted for.”
Firefighters Rush to Contain Blaze
According to the governor, Murang’a County Fire and Rescue teams were actively battling the fire alongside local community responders by Thursday night.
Authorities had not yet established the cause of the blaze by the time of publication, with investigations already underway.
Kang’ata urged members of the public to avoid the area to allow emergency teams unobstructed access and warned against spreading unverified information online.
“Please avoid the school area to allow emergency teams clear access. Follow instructions from county officers and National Police Service on the ground. Do not spread unverified information,” he said.
Residents were also directed to use the Murang’a County Disaster Management communication channels for urgent inquiries and updates.
Tragedy Comes Hours After Gilgil Fire
The Murang’a incident occurred less than 24 hours after a catastrophic dormitory fire at Utumishi Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
The deadly blaze reportedly broke out at around 1:00 am on Thursday, May 28, killing 16 students and injuring 79 others.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba later confirmed that seven students remained hospitalised as investigations into the tragedy continued.
President William Ruto conveyed his condolences to the affected families, saying the government’s immediate priority was supporting bereaved families and ensuring injured students receive proper medical care.
The tragedy has once again placed the spotlight on school safety standards in Kenya, particularly in boarding institutions.
Painful Pattern of School Fires
Thursday’s twin incidents have revived painful memories of past school fire tragedies that have haunted Kenya for decades.
The country’s deadliest school fire occurred in 2001 at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos County, where 67 boys died after a dormitory was deliberately set ablaze in an arson attack linked to students.
More recently, 21 pupils died in September 2024 after a dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, prompting President Ruto to declare three days of national mourning.
In 2017, another school fire in Nairobi killed 10 students, with a student later charged with murder over the incident.
Following the 2017 tragedies, a government task force produced 68 recommendations aimed at improving school safety, including better fire exits, enhanced dormitory standards and mandatory fire drills.
Government Orders Safety Review
As investigations into the Utumishi Academy fire continue, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen have announced plans to review compliance with the national school safety manual.
Speaking during a briefing on Thursday, Ogamba cautioned against premature speculation over the cause of the Gilgil fire, saying investigators were still examining the scene.
“As we have said, we already do not know the cause of this particular fire and it would be speculative… we wait for the outcome of the investigations,” Ogamba said.
The Education CS noted that all schools are expected to comply with the government’s safety manual and that investigators would determine whether the institution had adhered to the required standards.
“From a policy perspective, we have a school safety manual that all the schools adhere to and I would urge that we wait to see, after the investigations, whether that safety manual was adhered to in this particular school,” he said.
Ogamba added that the government had previously shut down hundreds of schools that failed to meet safety requirements after nationwide inspections.
“Initially, when… happened, we did close to 350 schools that were not meeting the specifications of that particular manual,” he said.
He further stated that safety audits would continue across the country and that the manual would regularly be updated to address emerging risks.
Renewed Questions Over School Safety
The latest incidents have intensified calls for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations in schools, especially boarding institutions where overcrowding, poor infrastructure and inadequate emergency preparedness have repeatedly been blamed for deadly outcomes.
Safety experts have long warned that many schools still lack sufficient fire exits, proper firefighting equipment and regular evacuation drills despite repeated tragedies over the years.
With investigations ongoing in both Murang’a and Gilgil, the nation is once again confronting difficult questions about whether enough has been done to protect students from preventable disasters.
