Lari Boys Closed after Students Riot, Set School on Fire over Music Instruments: “Walikuwa Hostile”

• Lari Boys High School was shut indefinitely after a late-night fire gutted major facilities, sparking fears over students’ safety and learning continuity
• The blaze, allegedly ignited by students, followed rising tensions over delayed access to a device promised earlier by a school official
• Area residents who rushed to help claimed students turned hostile, hurling stones and blocking efforts to save school property
• Parents, some of whom had paid full term fees, were instructed to collect their children as confusion and frustration mounted

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kiambu - Lari Boys High School has been shut down indefinitely after a fire on the night of Saturday, July 13.

The fire, allegedly started by students, gutted key sections of the institution in a shocking act of unrest reportedly triggered by the denial of access to musical instruments.

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According to locals, the fire broke out around 9pm, engulfing the administration block, several classrooms, the science departments, and the school library. Only the dormitories were spared.

Tensions had reportedly been brewing during the day after students were denied permission to use certain instruments.

The unrest reportedly began when a group of students grew agitated after a promised musical device was not delivered on time.

“There was a machine they needed to use, and the official had told them, ‘I’ll come and release it for you.’ He said that yesterday, or something like that. When they realised he hadn’t come to release it, that’s when, after finishing supper, they started causing chaos," explained Francis Lokato, a parent.

By the time police and fire responders arrived, significant damage had already occurred.

No injuries were reported, but the destruction of learning facilities has left parents deeply concerned about the students’ future and the school’s ability to recover.

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With the school deemed unsafe and tensions still high, the school administration advised parents to pick up their children until further notice.

Why did rescue efforts fail at Lari Boys?

In an unexpected twist, residents in the area, who responded to the emergency, said they were met with hostility from the students.

"We found out what was happening around 10pm, and we really tried to call the fire brigade. As a community, we’re extremely upset. Our parents have invested so much in building this school. It used to be a day school, and now that it’s a boarding school, we’re witnessing all these issues," said Eunice Kinyanjui, a local parent.

Kinyanjui, who is also part of the school's support community, said that the students themselves hampered efforts to rescue school property.

"They were throwing stones and breaking windows. Now, even as community members, we no longer feel safe. The only things they managed to save were their mattresses and boxes, we can still see them now," she added.

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The decision, while necessary, has caused frustration among families who had paid full fees for the term.

"They’ve told us to go home with the children until further notice. Yet we had already paid the full school fees, my child is even in Form 4. The school board needs to sit down, discuss, and decide on the way forward. Some students were setting things on fire while others were trying to block rescue efforts, so you can see this will become a bigger issue," lamented one parent.

Why did Mbale Boys burn their school?

In a related incident, students at Mbale Boys High in Vihiga county sparked a violent riot after being denied permission to watch English Premier League or La Liga matches.

Disgruntled learners ignited a dormitory using motorbike fuel, hurled school lockers onto a busy road, and vandalised offices, labs, food stores, and the fence, disrupting traffic.

Police intervened with tear gas, and at least one teacher and several pupils were injured.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke