- A fire has destroyed a dormitory at Hill School in Eldoret, affecting about 340 Form Three and Four students, with no injuries reported.
- Emergency responders, including the Uasin Gishu fire brigade and Kenya Red Cross, contained the blaze and have launched a rapid needs assessment for affected learners.
- Police have commenced investigations into the cause of the fire, which remained undetermined at the time of reporting.
A major fire has broken out at Hill School in Eldoret City, destroying property worth millions of shillings and leaving about 340 Form Three and Form Four students counting losses.
The fire erupted at about 5 am on Tuesday in a dormitory housing the senior students, triggering a rapid response by the Uasin Gishu County fire brigade, the Kenya Red Cross Society, police and members of the surrounding community. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities.
The affected students were attending their morning preps in classrooms when the fire broke out, meaning the dormitory was largely empty at the time the blaze started. The students were subsequently accounted for as emergency teams moved in to contain the fire. However, the learners lost most of their personal belongings in the blaze, with the full value of the destroyed property yet to be established.
Emergency crews worked to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the school as authorities began assessing the extent of the damage. Senior security officials, led by Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Wilberforce Sicharani, visited the institution following the incident. Police have commenced investigations to establish the circumstances that led to the outbreak, though the cause of the fire had not been established by the time of reporting.
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The Kenya Red Cross Society is coordinating part of the emergency response through its Head of Region, Oscar Okumu, and the Uasin Gishu County Coordinator. Red Cross teams are working alongside police officers, the county fire brigade and community members as the school deals with the aftermath of the incident. The humanitarian organisation has also deployed psychosocial support services for the affected learners, particularly students who may be distressed by the sudden loss of their belongings and disruption to their normal school routine.
A rapid needs assessment is also underway to determine the extent of the damage and identify the immediate requirements of the affected students and the school. The assessment is expected to establish the number of learners who lost essential personal items and guide the response by emergency agencies, school authorities and other stakeholders.
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Hill School has both primary and secondary sections, with the affected dormitory serving Form Three and Form Four students.
The incident comes as schools continue to rely on stringent fire-safety and emergency preparedness measures to protect learners and school property, particularly in boarding facilities where large numbers of students live within dormitory blocks.
Authorities are expected to provide further details as the damage assessment and investigations continue.
By Hillary Muhalya
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