This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
On September 8, 2019, a devastating fire gutted a Form Four dormitory at Musingu Boys High School in Kakamega county, reducing property of unknown value to ashes.
According to Principal Bernard Toili, the fire started at 8:45 am when students were attending a church service. The cause of the fire could not be immediately established, but Toili suspected it could have been due to an electrical fault.
Workers at the school spotted a cloud of smoke coming from the Oparanya Hostel, which houses over 500 students, and rushed to the scene. They found students' bedding and boxes engulfed in a huge fire.
"We called firefighters from the county government who managed to contain the inferno. At least 120 students have lost everything, including books, bedding, and other personal belongings," Toili said.
The principal assured that no student was injured during the incident and that they would look for an alternative place to house the students since most of them are supposed to be sitting for this year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Local leaders and well-wishers, including Kakamega Woman Rep Elsie Muhanda, have promised to help the school repair the dormitory on time in preparation for KCSE.
"We will sit with the management of the school and assess the extent of damage and pull resources together to have the dormitory repaired this week. We want the students to settle down since KCSE is around the corner," Muhanda said.
The dormitory was constructed by the County Government of Kakamega and was commissioned by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in May 2019.
