Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri has strongly refuted claims that a girl who was accused and prosecuted for starting a fire that killed 10 of her colleagues at Moi Girls High School Nairobi in 2017 is his daughter.

In a statement, MP Kiunjuri asserts that he has never had a daughter or relative at Moi Girls, and that the perpetrators of the falsehood are out to settle political scores.

“Unfortunately, some reckless individuals have decided to score whatever points by regurgitating this falsehood without any due consideration to the parents and relatives who lost loved ones in the incident and the fresh wounds they may still have,” Kiunjuri said in the statement. “This is too low even for purposes of scoring political points.”

The lawmaker empathised with the parents who lost their children in the said fire, and “whose scars continue to be opened afresh each time in the name of people politicking.”

Kiunjuri says that the parents of the girl in question are known, and that those pursuing the issue and care for truth should visit the school and get all the facts.

Five years imprisonment

The then-14-year-old student who was found guilty of starting the fire at Kabarnet dormitory was sentenced to five years in prison.

Justice Stella Mutuku sentenced her to five years in prison for each of the manslaughter charges she was found guilty of. However, the sentences would run concurrently, meaning she will serve for five years.

Justice Mutuku, while handing down the sentence virtually from Kajiado High Court, noted that despite being a minor, the girl’s offences were severe and therefore should be held accountable.

“I will not impose a non-custodial sentence to the accused because the offence of manslaughter is a serious one that needs one to serve a jail term,” said Mutuku.