Parents send their children to school with the hope that they will learn, finish their studies, and grow into the leaders of tomorrow. However, when a child’s journey to education ends in tragedy, the loss is incomprehensible. It is unnatural for parents to bury their children, yet this is the heartbreaking reality that many families in Kenya are now facing.

Parents have been waiting anxiously for news of their missing children after a devastating fire broke out at Hillside Endarasha Academy, a boarding school in central Kenya, on Thursday. Initially, the Ministry of Education confirmed the deaths of 17 pupils. However, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stated that 70 children were unaccounted for, leaving the exact death toll uncertain. By Sunday morning, BBC News reported that the number of deceased children had risen to 22.

Speculation about the whereabouts of the other missing students suggests that some may have run into the local community to escape the fire, or been picked up by their parents without the school’s knowledge. The blaze, which took place in a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, remains under investigation, and the cause is currently unknown. According to the headmaster, 150 pupils were in the dormitory when the fire started around midnight. The average age of the victims was about nine years old.

When parents arrived at the scene, the bodies were still in the ruined building and were beyond recognition. Videos circulating on social media show distraught parents struggling to walk, while others covered their eyes with shawls, unable to bear the sight of the devastation.

The school is located in a remote area, and the response by firefighters was delayed due to bad roads. In the chaos, local residents rushed to try and rescue the children, and some pupils went missing in the process. Deputy President Gachagua urged “each and every parent” who had collected their child from the school to report to the authorities, noting that 70 pupils were still missing. He also informed the public that at least 14 children had been taken to the hospital with injuries. “We are praying and hoping for the best,” he said.

President William Ruto described the fire as “horrific” and “devastating,” and has ordered an investigation into the incident. “Those responsible will be held to account,” President Ruto stated on social media.

Hillside Endarasha Academy is a private primary school near Nyeri town, located 150km (93 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi. The Kenyan Ministry of Education reported that the school accommodates at least 824 pupils—402 boys and 422 girls—with 316 being boarders. The government has pledged to assist families with burials and help cover hospital bills.

This tragic fire is not an isolated incident; fires are relatively common in Kenyan boarding schools, where safety standards have often been called into question. In 2022, a dormitory in western Kenya burned down, leading to the arrest of several students on suspicion of arson. The previous year saw a spike in arson attacks on boarding schools. In 2017, 10 students died in an arson attack at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi, and over 20 years ago, the deadliest school arson in Kenya claimed the lives of at least 67 students in Machakos County, southeast of Nairobi.

DNA testing will begin on Monday to identify the bodies of the children who died in the fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy. Meanwhile, at least three students were injured after a fire broke out at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya’s Isiolo town on Saturday, according to the Red Cross. The series of incidents underscores the urgent need for enhanced safety measures in schools to prevent further tragedies.