President William Ruto has declared three days of national mourning in honour of 17 pupils of Hillside Endarasha Primary School who perished in a fire tragedy.
Dr Ruto announced that during the period, starting Monday, September 9, 2024, to Wednesday, September 11, the Kenyan and the East African Community (EAC) flags shall be flown at half-mast at State House, all Kenyan diplomatic missions and public buildings and posts among others.
“For now, our nation must mourn and honour our seventeen young ones who lost their lives, and we must stand in solidarity with their families, friends, relatives, and schoolmates,” Dr Ruto said in the statement.
The Head of State said the loss of children of tender years in such a manner was an unfathomable tragedy.
“The children who tragically perished were between the ages of 9 and 13, in Grades 4 to 8; far too young to have been snatched from us. Thus, this loss evokes a unique sense of anger, bitterness, sorrow and emptiness at the cruel twists of fate that extinguished seventeen lives before they had a chance to become the great Kenyan adults they were destined to be,” said President Ruto.
“On behalf of a nation in mourning, I extend our deepest condolences to all our fellow citizens who have lost precious loved ones in the incident. As they mourn and grieve, we commit them to the love and grace of the Almighty, for only He can give them strength and healing that they need in this darkest hour of their lives,” he said.
President Ruto also expressed sympathies and sent commiserations of the entire nation to those who survived the tragedy.
“I am informed that fourteen boys sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment in various hospitals. We wish them a quick and full recovery, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families,” he said.
President Ruto said the incident compels the government to ensure accountability in all schools across the country and to take every action to safeguard the lives of our school-going children.
He said no child should lose their life in a place that is meant to be a safe haven for education, growth, and social development.
He said the government will deploy resources to ensure the injured children receive the highest level of care.
He vowed that all relevant persons and bodies will be held to account, and this shall be done to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.
“As your President, I pledge that the difficult questions that have been asked such as how this tragedy occurred and why the response was not timely will be answered fully, frankly, and without fear or favour,” President Ruto assured.
