Alliance High School has temporarily sent its students home after a fire broke out in one of its older dormitories, though school principal David Chomba confirmed that all students are safe and unharmed.
In a statement issued to parents on Thursday, Chomba said the fire affected “a small section of mattresses” in the dormitory and that students continue with their normal learning activities following the incident. The school has since invited parents to an upcoming meeting to discuss what happened and outline the steps the administration plans to take to protect student welfare going forward.
After that meeting, students will head home for the weekend to spend time with their families.
“This measure is intended solely to provide an opportunity for students to be with their families as the school undertakes further internal reviews and preparations to ensure continued normalcy and a conducive learning environment,” Chomba said in his statement to parents.
The principal framed the temporary closure as a precautionary step rather than a response to any ongoing danger. He said the administration made the decision carefully, with the goal of maintaining the trust and confidence of the wider school community.
Meanwhile, police arrested ten students from Alliance High School in connection with the fire that broke out in the institution’s mattress storage area on Thursday morning.
Board of Management chairperson Sam Ncheeri confirmed the arrests, stating that police are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the fire and determine the role of the suspects. The fire reportedly began around 4:00 am in one of the boys’ dormitory sections. Firefighters responded swiftly and managed to contain the blaze before it spread further across the school.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire, and investigations remain ongoing as police assess damage and gather evidence related to the incident.
A Series of School Closures Across the Country
The incident at Alliance High School comes at a deeply unsettled time for Kenya’s secondary school system. A string of school fires, student unrest, and precautionary closures has swept across the country in recent weeks, rattling parents, school administrators, and government officials alike.
Nakuru Girls High School and Njoro Girls High School both sent students home recently under circumstances that school authorities have not fully explained. Moi Forces Academy Lanet took the additional step of suspending classes specifically for Grade 10 and Form 3 learners as part of the broader national response to school fires. Lenana School also sent its students home indefinitely after unrest broke out during evening prep time.
These closures follow one of the most devastating school tragedies in recent Kenyan memory. A dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, on May 28, 2026, killed 16 students and left 74 others hospitalized. The scale of that disaster sent shockwaves through the education sector and sparked urgent questions about dormitory safety and fire preparedness in schools across the country.
In the aftermath of the Utumishi fire, a Naivasha court ordered authorities to hold nine girls suspected of starting the blaze at the Nakuru children’s remand home for 21 days while investigators complete their work on the case.
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