A midnight fire has destroyed the administration block at Jomo Kenyatta Boys High School in Nakuru County, leaving offices and valuable school equipment in ruins.
According to police, the incident was reported shortly after midnight on Monday by the school’s principal.
Officers from Bahati Police Station, led by the Nakuru North Subcounty Police Commander, responded to the scene alongside firefighters and established that the administration block had been completely gutted.
Among the facilities destroyed were the Chief Principal’s office, the deputy principal’s office, the staff room, the teachers’ kitchen and the accounts office.
Police said the fire also destroyed electronic equipment, including televisions, computers, Wi-Fi equipment, biometric kits, a DStv decoder, water tanks and window panes. The total value of the losses is yet to be determined by the school administration.
Preliminary investigations indicate the fire may have been deliberately set.
Police said initial inquiries suggest the incident could be linked to dissatisfaction among some students after they were reportedly denied permission to attend an academic function held at the neighbouring Jomo Kenyatta Girls High School on July 11, to which they had not been invited.
The school’s principal told investigators that the students had appeared calm and had shown no signs of planning any disturbance before the incident.
No injuries were reported.
Police said security has been reinforced at both Jomo Kenyatta Boys High School and the neighbouring girls’ school as investigations continue into the cause of the fire and those responsible.
