122 students affected as fire guts dormitory at Ofafa Jericho High School

Parents and guardians gather at the school gate after a fire outbreak at Ofafa Jericho High School. [James Wanzala, Standard]

A total of 122 Form Three and Form Four students at Ofafa Jericho High School in Makadara, Nairobi County, have been affected after a fire destroyed their dormitory.

The fire, which occurred at around 5:15 p.m., gutted Kifaru Dormitory and is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault.

"The fire occurred at around 5 to 6 p.m. on the first floor of the three-storey dormitory building and 122 Form Three and Form Four students have been affected," said the school's principal, Anthony Thuo, while addressing parents at the school gate at around 8 p.m.

He added, "I want to assure you that no student has been injured and we have accounted for all of them."

The principal was accompanied by Makadara Sub-County Assistant Commissioner Felistas Ndinda, who urged parents to remain calm, assuring them that their children were safe.

Thuo said the students would be released early tomorrow morning because it was already late and to allow investigative agencies time to establish the exact cause of the fire.

Angry parents gathered at the school gate and complained that they had been denied an opportunity to see their children and confirm that they were safe.

Security personnel, comprising watchmen and police officers from Makadara Police Station, said parents had been denied entry because some individuals had taken advantage of the confusion during the fire incident to steal.

The incident comes just days after several schools were affected by fires, forcing some institutions to send students home.