By Sonia Rao
Thousands of mourners stood before rows of small white coffins on Thursday at a memorial service for 21 children who died in a boarding school fire in central Kenya earlier this month.
The coffins were topped with bouquets of flowers and photographs of the young boys from Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri town, most between nine and 13, trapped in their dormitory.
“To come to Nyeri and see all these coffins, this is one of the greatest national tragedies that we’ve had in our country,” said Eugene Wamalwa, an opposition party leader.
Kenya has a sad history of school fires. There were more than 60 cases of arson in public secondary schools in 2018, according to most recent data in a parliamentary report.
It is not yet known what caused the fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy, but researchers say many similar fires have been set by students protesting harsh
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