Officers from the office of government pathologists carry bodies of pupils who died after a fatal fire at the Hillside Endarasha Academy, Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, September 7, 2024.
A planned post-mortem on the bodies of 21 children who died in last week's fire tragedy at Hillside Endarasha Academy has been postponed until Thursday September 12 to allow parents to view the bodies of their loved ones.
Police have so far been tight-lipped about how many people have recorded statements in connection with the tragedy, saying only that Mr David Kinyua, the owner of the school, is cooperating with detectives investigating the incident.
Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor (left) and DCI Homicide Director Martin Nyuguto are seen moments after briefing journalists at Naromoru Level IV Hospital in Nyeri on September 11, 2024.
Chief government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor said they had come to the decision because of the large number of families who had flocked to the mortuary at Naromoru Level Four Hospital, paralysing forensic operations.
"We have not been able to conduct a post-mortem since this morning because of the number of people who have come today to see the bodies. We have decided to allow them in so that they can have closure," Dr Oduor said, adding that the exercise would be completed on Thursday evening.
On Wednesday 11 September, officials from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), the Government Chemist, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Kenya Red Cross, the Directorate of Child Services, the Ministry of Health and counsellors had turned up for the exercise.
However, a mortuary employee we spoke to revealed that the state of some of the bodies made it impossible to carry out an autopsy.
"The bodies were burnt beyond recognition and after being kept in freezers since Saturday September 7, they were frozen, making it impossible to conduct the post-mortem," he said.
Parents who saw the remains of the charred bodies were so upset that they refused to speak to the media.
"What we saw inside is beyond words. I don't have the energy to talk about it," said one parent, who broke down in tears.
"But the government is taking too long in the process and they should finish it very quickly so that we can lay our children to rest and start the healing process," she added.
Meanwhile, angry parents across the country on Wednesday said they would organise a peaceful march to the school on Friday September 13 to demand answers from the government over the fire tragedy.
In an X Space hosted by Raymond @imbayik, parents, especially women, came out in support of the families who lost their children and complained about the laxity of government agencies in enforcing regulations meant to ensure the safety of children in schools.
Raymond, a communications and media expert, said she decided to organise the X Space, which attracted over 300 users, to find a way for women across the country to stand in solidarity with mothers who have lost their children.
"What happened at Hillside Endarasha Academy can happen to anyone. We are going to meet some of the parents who lost their children and talk to the school administration and the County Education Officers so that they can tell us exactly what happened," she said.
Sofia Rajab, a human rights lawyer, said it was regrettable that the government had still not established the cause of the fire six days later, adding that it was shameful that most politicians had remained silent about the incident.
"We need to get justice for the 21 children who died in the fire, because it seems that life goes on as normal. The government, the school owner should be held accountable," she said.
Another X user, Ajehlene Choiga, questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident, noting that reports that the dormitory was locked on the fateful night were "shocking".
"We need to get accurate answers from the government as to what exactly happened. If someone was sleeping on the job, we need to know, what the government has told us so far is public relations," Ms Choiga said.
