Pupils appear for Kenyan school fire

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Two high school pupils were charged yesterday with murdering 67 of their schoolmates in a dormitory fire last month.

Felix Mambo Ngumbao, 16, and Davies Otieno Onyango, 17, both pupils at Kyanguli Secondary School where the March 26 blaze took place, stood quietly at a preliminary hearing in the packed court of the chief magistrate as they were told their case would be adjourned until April 23, when they will be required to enter pleas.

Ngumbao stood with his head bowed and fought back tears as the court clerk took three minutes to read out the names of all the victims.

Onyango stared straight at the clerk without showing any emotion.

Onyango slept in the dormitory the night of the fire and was among 19 students injured in the blaze. Ngumbao stayed in a nearby dormitory.

Court clerk Mohamed Noordin said if the two teenagers, who are minors under Kenyan law, were found guilty, they would face life imprisonment.

Kyanguli headmaster David Mutiso Kiilu and his deputy, Stephen Kasyoka Makau, also appeared and were both charged with failing to prevent a felony.

"Being the headmaster and deputy headmaster ... jointly knowing there was a threat to set fire to the school, (you) failed to use reasonable means to prevent ... the completion of the felony," Noordin said while reading out the charges.

Both Makau and Kiilu pleaded innocent to the charges.

They were denied bail and remanded in custody. Their case was adjourned until May 14. -- Sapa-AP