Nyeri: The public inquest into the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire tragedy, initially scheduled to begin today, has been postponed to November this year. Parents of the 21 boys who died in the September 2024 dormitory fire arrived at Nyeri court on Thursday morning, only to learn that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had not yet submitted the investigative file from last year's probe into the incident.
According to Kenya News Agency, the parents, through their lawyer Raphael Okubo, informed the court that they had not received any formal communication from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) or the government regarding the inquest proceedings. 'We came to register our presence and to be made part of the court proceedings because, surprisingly, the victims' parents have not been informed and were unaware of the process. We came today to formally request inclusion in the proceedings,' said Okubo.
The inquest was moved to court following a recommendation by the ODPP, which suggested handling the case as an inquest. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced this decision during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Nyeri on August 26.
Last month, the parents of the deceased boys, together with the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Elimu Bora Working Group, filed a constitutional petition. The petition seeks to hold the school proprietors, the National Education Board, the Nyeri County Director of Education, the Nyeri County Education Board, and the Education Cabinet Secretary accountable for failing to protect and secure the learners' lives, resulting in the tragic deaths. The petitioners also demand that the court order the seven respondents to publicise the investigation findings into the fire's cause.
They argued that their right to human dignity under Article 28 of the Constitution continues to be violated by the respondents' failure to disclose the cause and circumstances surrounding the fire that claimed their sons' lives. Okubo has also formally requested access to all documents and evidence that the ODPP and the state will rely on during the prosecution. He confirmed that the upcoming public inquest will not interfere with the constitutional petition filed on September 23, 2025.
The inquest has now been rescheduled to proceed on November 20 before Magistrate Maryanne Gituma.