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| Memorial Service for Endarasha fire victims |
Parents and guardians of Hillside Endarasha Academy pupils who died in a fire that burnt down a dormitory on September 5 are attending a memorial service in Nyeri County. Memorial Service for Endarasha fire victims. The joint interdenominational burial service for the 21 boys is currently ongoing at the Mweiga Stadium. Parents could not hold their emotions as they broke down while caskets of their deceased children were carried in a tent at the service venue. Moreover, the families will be allowed to bury their sons after the joint memorial service. As per the programme, Bishop Paul Wanjohi coordinated the service, leading prayers and a song service, after which the school’s management presented their tribute to the deceased.
Many have paid tribute to the young boys, including their classmates. “Dear brothers, in deep mourning and grief, we find the courage to say we have crossed many rivers before, but this one is wide, deep and torrential. May you dance with angels in heaven,” one pupil read the tribute. Church leaders present comforted the families asking God to grant them the grace to deal with the sad reality of burying these young kids. “If you should take my child, Lord, give my hands strength to dig his grave. Cover him with earth. Lord send a little rain, for grass will grow,” he narrated while also urging the parents not to get stuck in mourning their loved ones,” PCEA Moderator Thegu Mutahi cited the poem “Grass will Grow.”
Gachagua comforts families of Endarasha pupils Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who attended the memorial service, thanked the people of Nyeri for their unity during the tough times. He also urged the Ministry of Education to adhere to the directives issued by President Ruto on matters of safety. “I want to ask the good Lord to give you comfort; I know it is not easy, as much as none of us welcomes death, if it were possible, it would be much better for parents to be buried by their children as opposed to parents burying their children,” he said. While consoling the bereaved, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga urged the politicians present not to politicize but to mourn with the pupils’ families.
He also affirmed that the government would investigate and determine the cause of the fire to prevent such incidents from reoccurring. “Let us respect the memory of this child who died tragically and avoid politics on the podiums. We thank everyone who took part in organizing this session, and we will accompany the families in burying their children,” Kahiga noted. The service comes a week after chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor confirmed that the DNA samples of the 21 fire victims had been run and positively matched with their parents.
by Lynn-Linzer Kibebe
