Nyeri Highschool Tragedy: The Day Students Locked Up Their Prefects and Set Them on Fire

It's May 23, 1999, Sunday afternoon.

Moses Mwangi convenes an urgent meeting with his friends somewhere behind the toilets. He is furious beyond measure. He clears his throat and says, "Tonight, we wait for the prefects to get into their cubicle, then we lock them in and burn it... Agreed?"

"Agreed!" the friends respond. He further informs them that the petrol they have been waiting for has arrived, and he has hidden it under his bed, together with a box of matches.

Sunday is usually a great day for students at Nyeri High School since there is little learning taking place.

In this school, prefects are very powerful, and being on bad terms with a prefect can cause you so many problems.

Some of the most prominent prefects in this school are Harrison Munge, the School Captain. Sometimes people call him Mr. President, and he is like a mini principal. He is always smartly dressed, and when he tells you something, you must obey.

The other one is Anthony Kariuki, the Games Captain. If he decides you are not playing, you will never set foot on that field, even if you can dribble like Lamine Yamal.

Eric Kiarie is the Assistant Dormitory Captain, and he does not wake you up gently. If you wake up late or forget to make your bed, punishment is guaranteed.

Then there is Paul Gachanja Musyoka, the Library Captain. If he decides you are careless, you will never get your hands on the good revision books in that school. You will have to buy your own or use the boring ordinary textbooks.

These four have friends and enemies in equal measure. Their enemies say they bully people, they are arrogant, and they talk too much.

The biggest enemies these prefects have made include Moses Mwangi, who had been suspended weeks earlier due to indiscipline. Moses and his friends blame the suspension squarely on the four prefects, believing it was they who reported him to the principal.

So this evening, Moses and his friends have decided that tonight, scores will be settled.

It is now 9:00 PM and Harrison has ensured all the students have returned to their dorms for the night. Harrison walks around for one final sweep, ensuring classes are locked and no students are roaming around or hiding.

Along the way, he stumbles on a folded piece of paper and kicks it like a ball. He stares at the sky and it is unusually dull. He hears what sounds like an owl somewhere in some trees not very far from where he is, and he hates owls because he has heard they forebode bad things.

He then takes slow measured steps as he returns to the prefects' cubicle. He feels indifferent, and some tingling of sadness lingers in his soul.

When Harrison gets back to the prefects' cubicle, he finds Anthony, Eric, and Paul asleep, and he slides into his bed for the night. Sleep comes quickly because he is so tired.

Around 1 AM, Moses Mwangi and his team tiptoe into the prefects' cubicle with only one thing in mind. Revenge. Moses locks the door from outside, then pours petrol on the walls and inside the room. He picks up the matches, and sets the cubicle on fire.

The prefects are woken up by extreme heat and smoke. They look around and realize this is no dream. They bang the door desperately, screaming for help. They try to push the door open, but it will not move. The window has grills and offers no way out. Within seconds, the fire fills the entire room.

By the time the teachers and other students arrive, Anthony and Eric are gone. Harrison and Paul are very badly injured and are rushed to hospital, but Paul dies shortly after.

Harrison Munge fights for his life in the ICU at Kenyatta National Hospital for weeks. He is a strong man and has dreams to live for. Doctors fight to save him. They try. He tries.

It is June 18, 1999, in the evening. The life support machines at Kenyatta National Hospital are beeping slowly and sadly. Two doves perched on a nearby tree flutter and disappear. The machine beeps one more time. A long, final beep. Harrison Munge rests.

Moses Mwangi Karuri has long been arrested alongside 16 others, but the suspects gradually reduce to three, the other two being Simon Dango and K. Mambi.

After almost ten years, the court rules that Simon and Mambi are innocent and sentences Moses Mwangi to life in prison. Reports claim he is still at Naivasha Maximum Prison.

The weight of the events of that night still lingers in Nyeri High, constantly reminding people that some actions, once taken, can never be undone.