School fire in Kenya: 'All relevant persons and institutions will be held accountable'

A national period of mourning has been declared in Kenya following a fire at a school that claimed the lives of 17 students.

Kenyan President William Ruto, during his visit to China for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, announced that a 3-day national period of mourning would begin in the country starting Monday, September 9.

Ruto stated, 'Losing children in such a manner during such a sensitive time is an unimaginable tragedy,' and offered his condolences to the families who lost their children.

Announcing that an investigation into the incident has been launched, Ruto said, 'As your President, I promise that difficult questions, such as how this tragedy occurred and why there was no timely response, will be answered fully and transparently. All relevant persons and institutions will be held accountable.'

In the fire that broke out yesterday at a school in the Nyeri region, approximately 150 kilometers north of the capital Nairobi, 17 students lost their lives and 14 students were seriously injured.

It was stated that the fire at the school, where 824 students reside as boarders, broke out while the students were asleep.

In 2017, 9 students also lost their lives in a school fire in Kenya.