Fresh details have emerged in the inquest into the Hillside Endarasha Academy fire, with testimony showing that although the school’s CCTV network had been repaired and was fully operational days before the incident, the dormitories where 21 boys died were not under camera surveillance.
When the hearing resumed before Senior Resident Magistrate Mary Gituma, CCTV technician James Githinji told the court on Monday that his work at the school had restored a system that was previously not functioning. He said that by the end of August 30, 2024, all cameras had been fixed and were recording as expected.
“When I arrived, I found that the entire CCTV system was not working. The DVR was faulty, and five cameras were too old, producing poor-quality footage,” he told the court.
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Githinji explained that he replaced the Digital Video Recorder, installed a new hard disk, changed five cameras and restored the power supply. The upgrades brought back all 11 cameras within the compound, though coverage remained limited to selected areas.
He told the court that the newly installed cameras were placed at strategic points, including the main entrance, near the kitchen, at the access routes leading to the dormitories, the assembly grounds and inside the director’s office. None of the cameras, however, were installed inside the sleeping areas.
“One of the five cameras I installed was facing the main gate, the other one was facing the kitchen and another was facing the gates that lead to the dorms. I also installed another camera inside the Director’s office and another one at the assembly which was facing the windows of the office and the classrooms that are near the office,” said Githinji.
He said the system was designed to handle up to 16 cameras and there had been plans to add more units during the school holidays.
“The Director informed me that the remaining cameras would be replaced gradually during the school holidays,” he added.
According to his account, the system was fully functional when he left the school, with live monitoring available from the director’s office. He said nothing unusual was reported until the night of the fire.
Githinji told the inquest that he received a call at about 1am on September 5 alerting him to the blaze. He arrived at the school around 4am, by which time the fire had already been contained.
“I arrived at 4am, by which time the fire had been put out. The power supply had also been cut off, and upon inquiry, I was told it had been switched off when the fire started. Upon inspection of the cameras, I noticed that one camera that was located at the assembly right opposite the Director’s office had been tampered with. The cable had been cut, and the camera was facing downwards while the wire was dangling. All the other four cameras were intact,” said Githinji.
He explained that the affected camera covered the assembly area and also captured parts of the classrooms and the director’s office. Cutting its cable disrupted its connection to the recording system. He added that people who had responded to the fire told him the damage may have occurred accidentally as a fire engine moved into the compound.
The technician said he remained at the school as investigators prepared to collect the recording equipment. Although the DVR was found intact, he was not allowed to review any footage.
The court heard that the fire broke out between 10pm and 11pm on September 5, just days after schools reopened for third term, and efforts are ongoing to reconstruct what happened.
Earlier evidence presented to the inquest showed that the victims died after inhaling carbon monoxide, alongside suffering severe burns affecting most parts of their bodies. Laboratory findings also confirmed the presence of carboxyhaemoglobin in their blood, pointing to exposure to toxic fumes.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has sought the court’s intervention to compel several witnesses to appear after they failed to attend the hearing. Those expected include a Kenya Power engineer, a solar technician, a Government Chemist analyst and a former energy regulator official.
State Prosecutor Claudette Obat told the court that only one witness attended, while the rest cited various reasons, including illness, official duties and leave.
“The investigating officer received a communication from KP that indicated that the witness was unwell and was unable to attend court. On the 24th, the IO also received a communication from EPRA indicating that the witnesses who were to come to court were engaged in other official duties and therefore were seeking another date.
The solar technician had, however, indicated that he was taking his child to school and would not be available today. The position from the government chemist is that he is on leave, and therefore we remain with the CCTV specialist who will be present in court,” said Obat.
The inquest is set to continue on April 28, with more witnesses, including teachers and a neighbour, expected to testify as the court works to establish the circumstances surrounding the fatal fire.
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