Hillside Endarasha parent questions Ruto’s silence one year after tragedy
By Cynthia Lodite, September 5, 2025Cyrus Chege, a parent to a pupil scorched to death at the Hillside Endarasha school fire inferno, has called out President William Ruto for failing to help answer the plea of parents to release the findings of investigations into the tragedy.
And as the parents mark one year since the tragedy that gutted the school’s dormitory on the night of September 5, 2024, Chege is now calling on Ruto to come to their rescue and help them find closure.
On his part, the parent of Roy Muturi, a Class VI pupil who died in the blaze while calling on the Head of State, has asked him to put himself in the parents’ shoes.
“Then the government fails. Sometimes I feel like asking our president, with all due respect, if this were his grandchild, could he have kept quiet?” Chege said.
While demanding justice, the parent, who is also a teacher, questioned a recent incident where a member of parliament was shot dead and, in a short span, the alleged perpetrators were held.
He now questions why the MPs’ perpetrators were allegedly held, whereas the 21 innocent boys have yet to hear any information one year down the line.
“We saw the other day an MP being shot, but within two weeks, people were held. But our sons, 21 of them, were innocent. They don’t have that platform to go and demonstrate,” Chege said.
Chege recounts Gen Z’s movement
While further crying out for justice, Chege firmly stated that unlike Gen Z, who forced the government even to form a commission, their 21 sons do not have a group that can go to the streets and demand justice.
“Just like Gen Z, they even forced the government to form a commission. But what about our kids? They don’t have a group that can go to the streets and demand justice for those kids.”
“And that is why I ask even MPs; they have never talked about this case. Yet they have everything; they have machinery,” Chege added.
Chege also added, “And that’s why sometimes you see a child die, an MP lost her son, and the public was very happy. Why? Because the common man has nobody.”
Chege has further questioned the government’s stand following past promises just after the tragedy.
“Just like we were being told, I want to remind the government they told us that those boys do not belong to us; instead, they belong to the government. My question is, where is this government?”