Police in Embu are holding 10 students accused of torching a dormitory at Kiambere Secondary School.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), nine students from the school were taken into custody after the main suspect linked them to the Sunday incident.
The 17-year-old male student was arrested on Monday following an identification parade, after detectives discovered that he had prior to the incident sent a pupil at from a neighboring primary school to buy him a matchbox.
“The suspect is cooperating well with our investigators and so far, he has revealed names of nine other students with whom they executed the treacherous act, ” DCI tweeted on Monday night.
sent a pupil at from a neighboring primary school to buy him a matchbox. The suspect is cooperating well with our investigators and so far, he has revealed names of nine other students with whom they executed the treacherous act.
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) January 25, 2021
Read: Dormitory At Kimulot School Goes Up In Flames, Property Destroyed
The students aged between 15 and 19 were detained at Kiritiri Police Station and will be arraigned at Siakago Law Courts today to answer to arson charges.
The directorate has cautioned other students harbouring similar intentions to seek alternative problem solving mechanisms, as opposed to wanton destruction of property.
“Detectives are under firm instructions to take the requisite lawful action against any student, suspected to be involved in any criminal activities, ” added DCI.
A number of schools have reported fired incidents over the past few weeks since school reopened on January 4 after months of closure over Covid-19 fears.
On Monday, a dormitory at Kimulot Boys High School in Bomet County was reduced to ashes following a morning inferno.
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Property of unknown value was destroyed in the 5 am fire whose cause is yet to be established.
The dormitory housed 288 students.
Last week alone, dormitories at Cheborgei Secondary School (Kericho) and Olomirani Secondary School in Narok County burnt down.
On Wednesday, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha banned small-bottle sanitisers in schools over recent fire incidents.
Read Also: CS Magoha Bans Portable Hand Sanitisers In Schools Over Recent Fires
Speaking after meeting education stakeholders at Our Lady of Fatima Girls Secondary School in Kariobangi North, the CS said learners have been using the sanitisers to start fires in institutions.
“I want to tell teachers that they must not allow small-bottle sanitisers into schools. If any child has portable sanitiser, it should be taken and kept and given when the child is leaving school, ” he said.
“We have already seen that a fire was started using a sanitiser in one of the schools.”
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