Fire Destroys Dormitory At Bishop Ndingi High School, Leaving 150 Students Stranded

A fire broke out early Tuesday morning at Bishop Ndingi High School, destroying one of the dormitories and displacing at least 150 students, local authorities have confirmed.

According to preliminary reports, the blaze started at around 6:00 a.m., while students were attending their morning prep sessions.

The affected dormitory, identified as Ngotho, was completely gutted by the time firefighters and staff responded to the emergency.

“Students were in morning preps when they noted that there was fire consuming one of their dormitories, named Ngotho, early this morning,” said Mwala Deputy County Commissioner David Tegutwa.

“There were no casualties in the incident since all 150 students usually accommodated in the dormitory were in their respective classrooms for morning preps,” he added.

While no injuries or fatalities were reported, property of unknown value, including beds, uniforms, books, and personal belongings, was lost in the fire.

The school administration and local security agencies have launched investigations to determine the cause of the fire.

Bishop Ndingi High School, a mixed-day and boarding secondary school near Mwala Town in Machakos Sub-County, has an estimated enrolment of 287 students.

School officials are currently working on temporary accommodation arrangements for the displaced learners.

Images and videos captured from the scene show flames engulfing the second floor of the dormitory, with thick smoke billowing into the early morning sky as the fire spread rapidly through the building.

This latest incident comes barely two weeks after a similar fire razed a dormitory at Onjiko High School in Kisumu County on July 7, also destroying students’ property.

In that case, no injuries were reported, and investigations are still ongoing.

Experts have long warned that the months of June and July are particularly prone to school fire incidents in Kenya, often linked to heightened student stress levels as schools approach national examination periods.

The Ministry of Education and regional education offices have been urged to enhance safety protocols in boarding schools and to implement fire prevention training and regular inspections to curb the recurrence of such incidents.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Bishop Ndingi High School remained partially operational, with classes continuing as authorities assessed the damage and began recovery efforts.

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