One year after a devastating fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy claimed the lives of 21 boys, grief and frustration continue to weigh heavily on the families left behind. The Hillside Endarasha fire claimed 21 lives in 2024. The tragedy struck on the night of September 5, 2024, when a dormitory at the school went up in flames, killing 21 pupils and leaving dozens with severe injuries. In the months that followed, the government conducted investigations, collected DNA samples, and interviewed parents, teachers, and the local community.
But one year later, the families say they have been kept in the dark on the findings and their path to find justice and possibly closure. How did Hillside Endarasha victims mark one year? Thirteen families gathered at the Nyeri Catholic Meeting Hall to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy. At the memorial, the parents and siblings held a candlelight procession, carrying photographs of the boys whose promising futures were cut short. For the families, healing and closure remain impossible without accountability for the events that took away their sons. Unlike the previous year’s memorial, which attracted government officials and hundreds of mourners, this year’s service was a private and quiet event. The mood was heavy with unhealed wounds as parents, siblings, and justice advocates shared prayers and painful recollections.
Victor Kiragu, father of the late Immanuel Gachoroho, spoke of the unrelenting pain, revealing his life ended when his son’s casket was lowered into the grave. “The time I pressed that lowering gear button and I saw what was meant to be my son going down, that’s when I died. So even if you come for me, you are pursuing a dead man. I’ve contemplated harming myself many times,” he stated. For Valentine Maina, who lost her brother Vincent Munene, the grief extends beyond parents, opening up on the sibling bond they shared. “I would like to just plead to the government, let’s just find justice for these kids. It pains us, not only for the parents but us siblings; we also shared a special bond with our brothers,” she said. Subscribe to watch new videos Why Hillside Endarasha victims oppose public inquest Despite assurances from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that the Director of Public Prosecutions had recommended a public inquest, parents voiced strong objections.
Most of the parents shared their reservations about the inquest, arguing that it was a tactic to delay justice. “So it means this public inquest is an afterthought. Maybe there is something they are trying to cover up. So we object to that. We need that conclusive report, then from there we can look at the gaps that are there. Then perhaps if we see those gaps, then we can recommend that public inquest. Because a year has gone by, it means we have to wait for another year,” said Silas Chege, father of the late Victor Muturi. The families also accused the authorities of abandoning them soon after the burials, revealing they never received post-mortem results, DNA confirmations, or an official report explaining the cause of the fire. Inconsolable families following the Hillside Endarasha fire tragedy in 2024.
Some parents confessed they still do not know whether they buried the remains of their sons or not. Another parent, Paul Gathogo, who lost his son Timothy Weru, questioned the government’s sincerity in the whole process.”You cannot tell me that they hand the samples of DNA, they were the people who arrived there, you know, they cordoned the area, you know, they did interviews with most of us and even the community and even the school, and still go back and tell us they want to do a public inquest. For what?” he asked.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
