March 26, 2001: Sixty-eight boys were burnt to death when their school dormitory exploded in flames. Twenty-eight others were taken to hospital suffering from serious burns. Arson was suspected as the cause of the blaze. One survivor reported seeing a man pouring liquid near the dormitory door at Kyanguli secondary school, seven kilometres from Machakos Town. He said he then noticed a strong smell of petrol seconds before fire flashed across the room. The father of another survivor said his son told him some students had carried petrol into the dormitory. Survivor Eric Kimau, a 16-yearold Form Three student. said he had awoken to see a line of fire running from the main door across the middle of the dorm to the other side, the emergency door. Machakos police chief Julius Narangwi confirmed his team was investigating arson and had already taken statements from students, teachers and villagers.

Photo|Nation Syndication