Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri, where 21 boys tragically died in a dormitory fire on September 5, will no longer offer boarding services, as stated in court on Friday.
The school plans to switch to a mixed-day school starting next term.
Lawyer Robert Kimunya, representing the school’s owners, informed the court that they had received approval from the county education board to operate as a mixed-day institution.
He explained that his clients no longer wished to maintain boarding facilities.
The dormitory fire, which caused the deaths, raised serious concerns about the school’s safety standards.
The tragedy also attracted criticism when the school reopened on October 9, 2024, amid claims it had not fully addressed student safety.
This incident led to a lawsuit filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Elimu Bora Working Group, and activist David Karani, questioning the Ministry of Education and the school management’s response to the fire.
In court, lawyer Mumbi Kiarie, representing the Ministry of Education, Nyeri County Education Board, the County Director of Education, and the Attorney General, confirmed that the school had received approval to reopen as a day school.
She presented a report from the county’s education director detailing renovations made to improve safety standards in the dormitories.
The report noted changes to the previously overcrowded dormitory, which housed 161 boys in a wooden structure.
Safety measures now include limiting the number of boarders and requiring additional dormitories if student numbers increase.
However, lawyer Haggai Chimei, representing the NGOs, pointed out that the report did not address whether faulty electrical sockets in the classrooms had been repaired. Kimunya denied that there were any electrical defects.
To address students’ mental health, the Ministry of Education partnered with the Kenya Red Cross to offer regular psychosocial support sessions starting next year.
These sessions will initially be held at Mt Kenya Hospital, but Judge Magare Kizito emphasized the importance of conducting them on school premises since the incident happened there.
The judge ordered the county director of education and the school’s board chairperson to submit a detailed plan on implementing the psychosocial support sessions before the next hearing.
The case is set to continue on February 4, 2025.
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