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Kenya: Parents Still Waiting for Justice
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 26 March 2008
Mutinda Mwanzia And Daniel Nzia
Nairobi
Parents of students who died in an arson attack at Kyanguli High School in Machakos District are still crying for justice, seven years later.
The chairman of the Bereaved Parents Association, Mr Hillary Kitata, said the deaths of their sons had left them devastated.
"We have waited for justice and for the culprits to be punished, but this appears completely elusive," said Kitata.
He called for the arrest and retrial of two former students. He also made a passionate plea to ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga, to take up their case, saying his record in fighting for justice was proven.
Sixty-seven students died in the worst tragedy to hit a school in the country's history.
On Wednesday, a handful of parents turned up for a low-key anniversary ceremony that was snubbed by senior officers from the education and Provincial Administration departments and politicians.
The parents held prayers in the school's dining hall before laying wreaths at a mass grave, where the bodies were interred.
Two former students were charged with the deaths of their colleagues, but were later released by the High Court after the case was declared a mistrial.
The then school principal and his deputy were arrested and jailed for eight months. They were, however, later released following a successful appeal.
The tragedy prompted the Government to issue safety guidelines requiring schools to have fire extinguishers.
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The deceased had their bodies interred in a mass grave within the school compound.
The memorial stands on a heavily fenced one-acre compound behind the boys' dormitory. No one sets foot on the compound except on Memorial Day.
Following the tragedy, the school was later renamed Kyanguli Memorial and turned into a mixed day school.
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| Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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