Five students from Magereza Academy were charged with arson and malicious damage after a dormitory fire that forced the school's closure. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]
Five students from Magereza Academy in Naivasha have been arraigned before a Naivasha court and charged with arson and malicious damage to school property worth Sh5 million.
The five minors are accused of planning and executing a scheme to torch a section of a dormitory on the night of May 5, forcing the closure of the school, which has more than 800 learners.
The development comes barely a week after a court allowed police to detain for 21 days nine students from Utumishi Girls High School who are accused of an arson attack that left 16 of their schoolmates dead.
In the latest incident, the five students, whose faces were covered, denied the two charges before Naivasha Principal Magistrate Wilson Rading.
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Through their advocate, Mbugua Macharia, the minors sought release on personal bond, alleging that they had been mistreated by police officers during their three-day detention.
Macharia told the court that the minors claimed they had been assaulted at the police station and denied medical assistance and access to their parents.
The advocate argued that the minors remained innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
He appealed to the court to release them on bond, noting that they were not flight risks as their parents had committed to providing surety and ensuring their attendance in court whenever required.
State Prosecutor Joyce Sterling did not object to the release of the minors on bond.
In his ruling, Rading released the five students on a personal bond of Sh100,000 each and set the case for mention on July 1.
Earlier, the school's chairman, Lawrence Mogaka, said the institution had decided to close following the arson attack that left one dormitory in ashes.
In a message to parents, Mogaka said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had arrested 13 students as part of its investigations, adding that the school administration would not tolerate criminal acts.
“Following consultations between the Ministry of Education, the management and the board, it was resolved to close the school due to the fire that destroyed the dormitory and the current situation affecting secondary schools in Kenya,” he said.