Kenya remembers fire tragedy

The fire destroyed the dormitory

A memorial service is being held in Kenya to mark the first anniversary of the deaths of 67 boys in a school fire.

The boys were among around 130 students who had been locked in a dormitory at Kyanguli High School in Machakos, some 65 kilometres east of Nairobi.

Two students - Felix Mambo Ngumbao and David Onyango Otieno - remain in custody, accused of starting the fire.

Their lawyers have been fighting for several months to get the boys' statements to the police - admitting guilt - overturned.

Cancelled exams

The suspects say these confessions were obtained after torture in police cells.

Only half the students could escape

Prosecutors say the two boys, aged 16, had a range of grievances against the school - the cancellation of exams after accusations of cheating, the alleged misappropriation of school funds and poor food and accommodation.

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

The smell of petrol had been reported before the fire but only the school grounds were searched, not the dormitory.