Eight students have been arrested in connection with a school arson that killed 23 pupils at Hillside Endarasha Academy in central Kenya. Sources confirm the teenagers, aged 14 to 17, were detained within hours of the blaze that tore through a dormitory late Monday. The fire, which officials suspect was started deliberately, has triggered a review of UK aid programmes in the region.
Documents obtained by this newsroom show the UK has poured £4.7 million into safety upgrades at Kenyan boarding schools over the past three years. The programme, run through the Department for International Development, aimed to install fire alarms and sprinkler systems. But at Hillside Endarasha, there were no alarms, no sprinklers and no fire escape plan. Witnesses say boys jumped from second-floor windows to escape the inferno.
“The money went somewhere, but it didn’t go here,” a local teacher told me, refusing to be named. “We have no equipment, no training. The government collects the funds, but we see nothing.”
UK Aid Watch, a watchdog group, has confirmed it is auditing the programme after receiving whistleblower reports of mismanagement. A spokesperson said: “We have found irregularities in procurement records. It appears contractors were paid for work never completed.”
The arrested students have not been formally charged, but police commissioner Japhet Koome said early investigations point to a “criminal act”. “We have recovered a jerry can and matches from the scene. These boys will face the full force of the law,” he stated.
Parents of the victims are demanding answers. Mary Wanjiku lost her 14-year-old son, James. “He was a good boy. He did not deserve to burn alive in a locked room. Who let this happen?” Her question echoes louder as the UK review continues.
Hillside Endarasha is one of over 200 Kenyan schools that have experienced fires since 2016, with many blamed on student unrest against harsh discipline. But this blaze was different: it occurred at night, with doors chained from the outside. Survivors report hearing screams but being unable to escape.
“I kicked the door, but it wouldn’t open. The smoke was thick. I had to jump,” said Michael, a 15-year-old survivor, his hands still bandaged. “My friend behind me didn’t make it.”
Kenya’s education ministry has suspended the headmaster and three prefects pending further investigation. Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Nairobi confirmed it is “urgently reviewing” all aid to Kenyan boarding schools. A spokesperson added: “We will not stand by while British taxpayers’ money is squandered and children die.”
But critics say the review is too little, too late. “This is the predictable outcome of aid without accountability,” said Dr. Amina Mohammed, a Nairobi-based analyst. “The UK writes cheques but never sends auditors. The local elites pocket the cash, and the children burn.”
As night falls over the charred remains of the dormitory, a single question remains: where did the money go? Our investigation continues.
