Kenya mourns schoolgirls killed in suspected dorm arson attack / Photo: Luis TATO - AFP
Kenya mourns schoolgirls killed in suspected dorm arson attack
Kenyan families were overwhelmed with grief at a mass Friday for 16 girls killed in a suspected arson attack on their school -- part of a string of pupil protests that have unnerved the country.
Kenya has seen 47 fires at schools this year as pupils protest a range of issues including exam stress, corruption and conditions at boarding schools that are very common in the east African country.
"Why, why God have you gone?" a girl cried over the coffin of one of the children killed at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County on May 28.
Children were trapped in the burning dormitory after a fire began in the middle of the night.
Sixteen children aged 15 to 18 died, and 132 were injured, according to the Red Cross.
Nine pupils of the academy, which was primarily for the children of police officers, remain in custody as an investigation continues.
At the mass at Nakuru's Gilgil Stadium, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Nairobi, leaders steered the conversation away from the issues behind the protests.
"We have come for prayers, not politics," one priest urged, standing in front of the small white coffins, adorned with orange, white and pink flowers.
Mothers and relatives wailed as the bodies of the schoolgirls arrived in a procession. At least three parents fainted, and one father had to be restrained.
"I have never expected something like this. A school is supposed to be the safest place for children," said Liz Munyaga, 46, whose 17-year-old niece, Gertrude, died in the fire.
"Why turn (on) a fellow school mate? That is the question we are all asking," she added.
- 'So terrifying' -
There have been several more fires since the blaze at Utumishi and dozens of boarding schools have sent pupils home to avoid unrest.
Experts blame copycat attacks but also years of pent-up frustration with the under-resourced and high-pressure education system.
Police said the bodies were discovered on the upper floor of the Utumishi two-storey dormitory.
One of the students Rosie, 15, woke up to flames and smoke and tried to break through a locked door before eventually jumping from the first floor, injuring her leg.
"I was very scared," she said, "it was so terrifying, (but) even as I was jumping I was remembering that there were some girls left behind."
There have been complaints that pupils are locked into their dorms at night, in contravention of fire safety rules.
Sitting in the stands before the ceremony, dressed in black with a white t-shirt emblazoned with her school's name, Rosie spoke about her best friend, Abigail, who died in the fire.
"She was a dancer, we would always chat together," she said, overcome with emotion.
"It is really painful to me," she added after a moment. "We have been so traumatised."
A.Wallace--EWJ
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