Photo: Capital FM

The pupils at Asumbi Boarding School were asleep in the dormitory when the fire broke out due to what is initially suspected to be an electrical fault.

A secondary school in Kitale has been closed after a fire destroyed more than Sh5 million property. The fire at St Anthony's High school Kitale destroyed a dormitory yesterday night.

Form four candidates will however remain in school to prepare for the the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education which will start in two weeks.

The principal Cosmus Nabungolo said caused of the fire had not been established . "The fire started at around 8pm. Fortunately, no student was injured and we thank God for that," Nabungolo said. "We have been receiving anonymous calls to close the school and participate in the ongoing teachers."

He asked all church leaders, parents and students to pray for the school. The principal appealed for help from well wishers, area CDF and the government to enable the school to put up another dormitory. Last year, the school lost property worth sh2 million after another dormitory was destroyed by fire.

Kitale police boss James Kimani who rushed to the scene with his officers said a committee to establish the cause of the blaze has been formed and the cause will soon be known. Lands assistant minister Bifwoli Wakoli who visited the school this morning warned Kenya power officers over perennial fire incidences in Trans Nzoia.

"We are asking energy minister Kiraitu Murungi to investigate Kenya power over the problem because more than five schools in Trans Nzoia have been affected by fire in the last one and a half years" said Wakoli. "You cannot tell us again that it was an electric fault" said Wakoli.

The school's board of governors chairman Maurice Anthony Crowley commended police for their immediate intervention after the fire broke. Gabriel Rono, one of the students told the Star that on hearing bad news, teachers immediately thronged to school and were the first people to call the fire fighters.

"We were just in class taking our evening preps when we saw the fire, it was fortunate that nobody was in the dormitory" said Rono. Kitale municipal council fire fighters could not put out the fire due to its small capacity to carry water. A private fire fighter from "Khetia drapers" was later called to help in putting out the fire but nothing could be salvaged as the fire that spread faster had destroyed all the student's belongings.

Incidences of fire in schools are rampant in Trans Nzoia County with last year, Kitale School and Kitale Technical institute being among the victims. In the past three weeks, another fire destroyed property worth sh40 million at the Kitale Chanuka market and its cause is yet to be established.