Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says 70 Hillside Academy pupils are unaccounted for following the Thursday night inferno that claimed 18 lives.
Speaking on Friday evening after visiting the school, Gachagua said 311 pupils were in boarding school during the incident.
So far 27 pupils are in hospital, 37 are with their parents, and 86 others’ whereabouts are known
“We still have 70 Hillside Academy pupils that are unaccounted for, but that does not mean that they have perished or injured. We are praying and hoping for the best,” said Gachagua.
The DP called on parents who took their children from the school to report to the authorities so that the government could account for them.
“I am appealing to each and every parent who took their children from the school to report so the children can be accounted for. We thank the community around the place for their quick response but we ask them to also report the children they are hosting for accounting. It is after this that the Government will give a proper account of those affected,” he said.
At the same time, Gachagua said a specialized team of detectives has been deployed to Hillside Endarasha Academy to commence investigations into the cause of the fire.
“We have specialized teams from the directorate of investigations, pathologists, and homicide and forensic detectives here. All these teams are working from here. We are asking for time and patience,” said the DP.
Gacahgua pointed out that the nature of the tragedy will require high-level input including collection of samples to identify bodies. He also called for responsible reportage to avoid misleading information and inaccuracies.
“There will be a lot of work in collecting samples for DNA to match the bodies with the parents. We are calling upon everybody to cooperate. We are asking the media, the people of Kenya to allow our officers from DCI who are competent and professional to be given time to conduct investigations,” he urged.
Also Read: Uhuru Kenyatta’s Statement After Hillside Academy Fire Tragedy
