Property worth millions destroyed at Eronge SDA Boarding Primary School as headmaster appeals for help

Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed on Wednesday night after lightning struck a dormitory at Eronge SDA Boarding Primary School in Borabu Constituency, Nyamira County. The school’s headmaster, Mr Evans Osinde, however, said nobody was injured in the incident that occurred at 7pm.
"We thank God that at the time of the incident, our pupils had congregated in the school chapel for evening prayers. None of them was in the dormitories that were destroyed," he said. He added: "I heard a deafening thunder and upon looking outside I saw smoke and fire billowing from one of the dormitories." He said that they managed to put out the fire using their own extinguishers to prevent it from spreading to other areas.

Police from Manga and Esise Ward Rep Teresa Nyaanga joined teachers and pupils of the school in putting out the fire. Among the items destroyed were beds and pupils' belongings. Mr Evans Osinde, the headmaster of Eronge SDA Boarding Primary School, estimated the damage caused to be Sh15 million. He and Mrs Nyaanga appealed to the government and well-wishers to assist the school and the affected 160 pupils to continue with their studies.

"I am asking the government and other well-wishers to assist us now that 160 out of 1,200 of our pupils have been affected by this tragedy," Mr Osinde said. He blamed the department of public works for failing to regularly inspect the lightning arresters installed at the school to establish whether they were working. Mr Osinde said the arresters were installed in the school 25 years ago. "It is the duty of the department to regularly check that lightning arresters installed in learning institutions are working after every two years to avert such disasters," he said.