The owner and director of Hillside Endarasha Academy, David Kinyua, said the school will reduce the number of boarding students.
This follows a boarding school Fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy that claimed the lives of 21 students on September 6, 2024.
Kinyua said the move will help create space in the school to accommodate students. According to him, the number of internal students will drop from 330 to 195 students. Kinyua said on Tuesday that he was saddened by the fire tragedy that killed 21 students at the school.
“We do not have enough space for boarding students, the students who are close to the school will be day students so we can accommodate some boys. So far, we have 87 boys who are borders and 98 girls who will be, the others will be day scholars”, he said.
“Before there were 164 boys and 166 girls.”
He found that parents and education officials were invited to a church meeting and prayer.
“We are authorized to start the repairs and we are trying to do it on time. “We removed the dormitory where it was located and changed the paths leading to the dormitory that was razed by fire so that they would not be traumatized,” Kinyua added.
The director said that they have a committee responsible for the children who lost their belongings in the fire tragedy. He said that they received a lot of help from benefactors who offered to help the children affected by the tragedy of the fire.
“The affected children will not buy anything. They will have everything they need. “The benefactors are willing to support them,” Kinyua said.
“This tragedy saddens me. I have been with them for 13 years and I did not expect this,” Kinyua said.
“I am touched by what happened. I ask everyone to help me with prayers and I ask God to help me recover quickly.”
The Hillside Endarasha Academy tragedy has sparked a national debate about whether or not the country should abolish boarding schools. Last week, government spokesperson Issac Mwaura said all students affected by the fire had been accounted for.
“All the girls are at home with their parents, while 164 boys have been found,” he said.
Mwaura described the tragic loss of 21 students as an unimaginable disaster.
“Two of the boys died in hospital while being treated and another 19 bodies were found in the burnt dormitory,” he said.
