Security agencies in Lugari Sub County are investigating attempted arson attack at St. Luke’s Lumakanda Boys High School.
Lugari Sub County security team led by Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Mr. Ochillo Oyugi, OCPD Bernard Macharia and Sub county Criminal Investigation Officer Joseph Katsungu spent the better part of Monday at the school where it is claimed an identified man sneaked several litres of petrol into one of the dormitories on Sunday evening.
Prior to the evening petrol incident, the school’s Principal, Mr. George Wandere had earlier on the same day raised an alarm upon discovering several offices within the institution’s main administration block had been tempered with.
“The most affected was the Director of Studies (DoS) office, from where the arsonist attempted to lit fire through a window,” explained Wandere, revealing examination papers for the ongoing sub county mock exams had been stored there.
Though the DoS’s office partly burned, with the window’s curtain and several printing papers going up in flames, the examination paper, scheduled for Monday, had not been tempered with.
The typing pool and boardroom were among other affected offices within the administration block.
An empty petrol container was found in the typing pool, lying just next to end of term examination papers for the lower forms.
Lumakanda Officer Commanding Station (OCS), William Oyugi, who was first to rush to the scene, confirmed the container had traces of the flammable liquid.
According to interviewed students, tension heightened in the school compound after 5.pm when occupants of Kitsiri dormitory discovered several of their bedding had been sprinkled with petrol.
“The student discovered the sprinkling incident upon returning to the dormitories from the dining hall where they had taken supper,” stated the Principal who was compelled again to call in police officers from Lumakanda station.
Eleven beds that had been sprayed with dangerous liquid were isolated with the owners forced to share the night with colleagues in other dormitories, according to the school head.
Besides the administration block, the security team that also comprised of Sub County Administration Police Commander (DAPC) Mrs. Margaret Mwalua and officials from the Ministry of Education, led by Sub County Director of Education (SCDE), Francis Shikanda, visited several other scenes on the compound.
The team is chasing some leads to establish the genesis and motive behind the attempted arson, especially occurring at a time when more than hundred public boarding secondary schools countrywide have been closed due to fire attacks.
Speaking from the institution’s staff room, the DCC appealed for calm from school’s staff and student fraternities as well as the surrounding community as the security agencies conclude investigations into the matter.
“Thereafter we will be able to provide further directions,” said Oyugi, who ruled out the possibility of closing the school.
Macharia assured the public that police officers will man the institution day and night.
“Meanwhile we are hunting down a dreadlocked man claimed to have been spotted jumping over the school’s fence by some students, just a few minutes to the dormitory incident,” said Macharia adding that preliminary investigation indicates that the attempt might have been an inside plan by some staff at the school or an outsider but not students.