Anguished parents have been gathering at Utumishi Girls School in central Kenya since Thursday for news of their daughters following a suspected arson attack that killed 16 pupils.
Frustrated by the long wait as students were held back on the premises, they are demanding answers from the authorities as to the whereabouts and identities of their children.
The fire in the early hours of Thursday morning tore through the upper floor of a dormitory at the boarding school which had 135 bunk beds.
The uncertainty has been unbearable.
Among those waiting was John Muiruri, father of 13-year old student Nicole Muiriri, who has been waiting to hear about the fate of his daughter.
"They tell us the children are in Kenyatta University hospital in Nairobi, other times they say they are in Naivasha. They have just been doing some sideshows, trying to prevent us from knowing the truth,” he said.
“But the reality we have come to know is that we have lost our children. We have come to terms with reality. What we want to know is where are the remains of our daughters."
The bodies of the 16 students were taken to a government hospital morgue on Thursday, and were undergoing DNA testing to ascertain their identities.
"The bodies can't be identified by just looking at them, because of the burns and that's why we are doing DNA," Joyce Ncece, the chief officer for disaster management of Nakuru County, explained.
DNA testing finally got underway at the school late on Friday with forensic experts collecting samples from distraught parents in a bid to establish the identities of the victims.
In addition to the deaths, the blaze on Thursday morning left 79 others people injured
Police say eight students have been arrested in connection ‘”with the planning and execution” of the blaze. The motive remains under investigation.
“Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with students, teaching staff, and other witnesses, while forensic teams carry out a detailed review of available CCTV footage,” DCI spokesperson John Marete said in a statement.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba said Friday the school's board of management had been dissolved and the principal would face disciplinary action for failing to comply with the safety manual.
“In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.
Two teachers who were aware of planned unrest that may have led to the suspected arson will also face disciplinary action.
Fires at schools have long been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and there’s usually no firefighting equipment in place.
The blazes are sometimes attributed to electrical faults but are also sometimes caused by students burning down schools because of disciplinary issues.
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