Ex-ODM Official Reveals What He Did to His Own Son After He Burnt School Dormitories Twice

Human rights activist and former ODM executive director Wafula Buke disclosed that his son set fire to school dormitories on two separate occasions within three months. 

He made the revelation during an interview with Professor Herman Manyora on The Nairobi Review, shared on Facebook on June 21, 2026.

Buke told the interviewer that the first incident took place at a school whose principal was his first cousin. 

The principal chose to handle the matter privately and gave the boy another chance rather than report the incident to the authorities, a position Buke said he opposed from the start.

Three months later, the boy struck again, setting fire to another dormitory before fleeing. Buke said that was the moment he stepped in, instructing the principal to call the police and have his son arrested without any consideration for their family ties.

"I told the principal to call the police and get my son arrested, but he thought he was a better parent than me. So he dismissed me like many other people did, saying I should forgive him. 

The boy burnt another dormitory just after three months," Buke said, noting he had recognised the danger the boy posed long before others were willing to act.

When the boy's mother found a boarding school in Ukambani and requested money for admission, Buke refused to provide it. 

He said placing his son among other students after what had happened was not something he could allow, and he pushed instead for the boy to be arrested, charged in court, and made to face the full consequences of his actions.

"My son burned about two dormitories and is currently serving a jail term that I personally supported because he had to face the consequences of his actions," Buke said, adding that the rule of law had to apply within a family just as it did anywhere else.

The interview gained wide attention at a time when school fire incidents had become a serious national concern, following the Utumishi Academy tragedy that killed 16 girls. 

More than thirty schools were shut down across the country after similar incidents, with students linked to several of the outbreaks.