A fire at a primary boarding school in Nyeri County, central Kenya, has killed 17 students and seriously burned 13 others, police said on Friday. President William Ruto has promised a thorough investigation into what he described as a "devastating" incident.

The blaze erupted on Thursday night in a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Primary, which caters to children up to the age of 14.

Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the education ministry reported that the dormitory, which housed more than 150 boys, was constructed mainly of wooden planks, which contributed to the fire spreading rapidly.

The school, which has 824 students, is located in the country's central highlands, 200 kilometres north of the capital Nairobi, where wooden structures are common.

"We have lost 17 pupils in the fire incident while 14 are injured," police spokesperson Resila Onyango told Reuters. "Our team is at the scene at the moment."

Citizen Television reported that the fire had burnt the students beyond recognition.

Anxious parents, who have been unable to locate their children among the survivors, are waiting at the school.

Investigation underway

President William Ruto said he had asked authorities to investigate and hold those responsible to account.

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School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, often due to arson driven by drug abuse and overcrowding, according to a recent education ministry report.

Some fires have been started by students during protests over workload or living conditions.

In 2017, nine high school students died in a fire at a school in Nairobi, which the government attributed to arson.

In 2001, 58 schoolboys were killed in a dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School near Nairobi.

In 2012, eight students died in a school fire in Homa Bay County, western Kenya.

(with newswires)