A FIRE in a school dormitory in Kenya killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police said today.

There are fears the death toll may rise further, police said.

The cause of the fire on Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said. The school has 824 students up to the age of 14.

Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the education ministry reported that the dormitory that caught fire housed more than 150 boys aged between 10 and 14. 

The school is 125 miles north of the capital, Nairobi.

The Nyeri County governor, Mutahi Kahiga, told journalists that rescue efforts were hampered by the muddy roads caused by ongoing rains in the area.

President William Ruto called the news “devastating.”

“I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged school administrators to ensure that safety guidelines recommended by the education ministry for boarding schools are being followed.

School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, often due to arson fuelled by drug abuse and overcrowding, according to a recent education ministry report.