On Sunday 18 June 2023 around 8pm social media was abuzz a fire incident at Bungoma High School. Word on the social media streets had it that students had started the fire following a frustrating 4:0 loss to Sio in a football match but in response another online comment read “We are on the ground nothing like that. it is fake news circulating around of which it is normal. Everything is fine students are taking their mid term exams before breaking for half term“. These kinda chats jammed social media the whole night with the administration keeping quiet.
On 19th morning the school head made a communication that was shared on the various WhatsApp groups by teachers indicating that an electric fault was to blame for the unfortunate incident. It reads:
Good morning PA members. Last evening at about 7.30am our new dorm Everest got fire. We haven’t established the cause. But God is good we contained the fire. The dorm has 2 apartments,the small that has 2 cubicles and the larger part. In the evening the form 2 block near my house did not have lights. We asked those students to go and read from dinning hall. After about 30 minutes the lights came back and the boys were asked to go back to their classes. Shortly I heard a big alarm from the boys and got out. They informed me of the incident. We all ran there and removed boxes,mattresses and beddings. Boys got water and put off the fire. Fire fighters also came and helped but boys and teachers had done fantastic work. We housed the affected students in the dinning hall and will sort out other issues today. The school is safe and programmes will continue as usual today. Thanks
ikuweikuwe.com is reliably informed that the above communication was posted by class teachers on various class WhatsApp groups as authored by the school head.
My rat informs that; On Monday 19th several students were rounded up only for them to be beaten thoroughly by school prefects led by the Captain and forced to agree having burnt down the dorm. They spent the night in the school’s confinement room before being taken to Bungoma police the following day Tuesday 20th where they again spent a night at the police cell.
On 20th ikuweikuwe.com extended a concern by a parent who wondered why the institution wasn’t making a formal communication on what conspired and one of ikuweikuwe follower shared the principal’s communication as in the screenshot below.
The five students were arraigned in a Bungoma Court on Wednesday 21st June 2023 where they pleaded “not guilty”. They were represented by Advocate Amos Makokha while who begged the court to ignore the miscellaneous application by police and instead treat them as minors inline with the law.
While refusing to remand the students and therefore granting the request the Judge slapped the four form twos and a form three students personal free bond of KShs. 50,000= to be executed by the student’s parents or guardians. They are expected to present themselves at the police station on Friday 23rd June 2023 and in court on Wednesday 28th June 2023.
