A detective who was among the first officers to respond to the Endarasha Academy fire in Tanzania two years ago has raised questions over the initial investigation. Corporal Stanley Wachira, who was then attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office Kieni West Sub-County, testified before a Nyeri Senior Resident Magistrate that he counted 17 bodies inside the burnt dormitory. The fire occurred on September 5, 2024, at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a school in the Kieni West Sub-County.
Corporal Wachira said he arrived at the scene shortly before midnight, along with two colleagues, and found that the fire had already been extinguished. The dormitory was a wooden and stone structure with a semi-permanent extension made of iron sheets and timber. The detective described the scene as dark, with smoke and debris everywhere, and some of it still burning. A large crowd had gathered on the school compound and outside the dormitory, and a multi-agency team was appealing to the public to leave the school grounds.
Corporal Wachira assisted the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officer with preliminary investigations and secured the dormitory and its surroundings with a police cordon. He observed about 17 bodies in the dorm, scattered all over the burnt area, with some near the back doors, on the walkways, and on the beds. However, due to heavy smoke, he was unable to photograph the scene. The following morning, the Homicide team from Nairobi arrived and formally took over the crime scene.
The Nairobi homicide team processed the scene and retrieved 19 bodies, which were taken to the Naromoru Level Four Hospital for preservation and autopsy. Two other boys died while receiving treatment at the hospital, bringing the death toll to 21. Corporal Wachira said he handed over all investigations to the Homicide detectives and his role was limited to assisting with identifying the victims' parents and facilitating the DNA sample collection process.
During cross-examination, Corporal Wachira said he never established the cause of the fire and did not follow up on the investigations after handing over to the Homicide team. He also testified that he did not know whether the school breached fire-safety requirements, as he never received any fire safety preparedness reports for the school. The inquest also heard from a quality assurance officer, Charles Kamau, who inspected the school in 2023 and declared it fit to host a junior secondary school.
Mr. Kamau's inspection report found that the school met basic requirements for registration, including adequate classrooms, furniture, a library, a laboratory, water, electricity, and qualified teachers. The report also noted that the school maintained 24-hour security with dedicated day and night watchmen and employed 15 Teacher Service Commission (TSC) qualified teachers. However, the report did not indicate whether the dormitories had fire alarms or show the spacing between beds.
The inquest continues to hear from witnesses, and the investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing. The incident has raised concerns about school safety and the need for improved fire safety measures in educational institutions.
Key points
- The detective who responded to the Endarasha Academy fire questioned the initial investigation and said he couldn't establish the cause of the inferno at the time.
- The school had been inspected in 2023 and declared fit to host a junior secondary school, but the report did not indicate whether the dormitories had fire alarms.
- The incident has raised concerns about school safety and the need for improved fire safety measures in educational institutions.
