Kenya Power's Lamu office has refuted claims by some school heads that fires are due to electric faults.
County manager
Bernad Kataka complained that blame is often heaped on the company by principals and boards who use is as a "sacrificial lamb".
“We are not at all responsible for the school fires and we can physically prove that," he told journalists on Monday.
"School heads need to find a better excuse as to why students keep torching schools instead of playing blame games. That's a habit that needs to stop.
The company is keen on what it does so you rarely find cases of fires whose fault is ours."
Kataka asked the schools to dig deeper into unrest as unruly students are likely the culprits.
He said KPLC has not recorded challenges in installations to warrant fire outbreaks since the first school incidents were reported.
"Those dragging KPLC into this murk
seem to have other intentions," he said and asked them to stop and face the challenge head-on.
“In the case of an electric faults, entire areas are affected or even left in darkness. In such cases, the transformer blows up," he explained.
"Those claiming school fires are due to electric faults need to find other scapegoats. KPLC has nothing to do with school fires. It's the students and these people know it. Let them do their investigations well and leave us out."
The aftermath of a fire at Lamu Boys' Secondary School, May 17, 2018. /CHETI PRAXIDES
On May 17, Lamu Boys' Secondary School was closed indefinitely after three dormitories went up in flames in three weeks, leading to a loss of at least Sh7 million.
The school said the fires resulted from electric faults but several students were arrested. The investigation has not been completed.
On July 12, property worth Sh.7.5 Million was destroyed in a night dormitory fire at Mokowe Secondary School. The suspected cause was an electric fault but in this case as well, the probe is still on.
The institution was closed indefinitely.