Govt. denies negligence in Mahdia dorm fire

Sep 02, 2026 News

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By Khadidja Ba 

(Kaieteur News) – As the nation marked the first day of Amerindian Heritage Month, the Government of Guyana on Tuesday approached the High Court denying all claims of negligence, constitutional violations, and statutory breaches surrounding the May 2023, Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire which claimed the lives of 20 children.

The legal response, dated 31^st August, 2026, directly aims to counter grievances voiced by affected Indigenous families in Region 8 who reported feeling silenced, uncompensated, and neglected in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The legal proceedings brought under action by administrators ad litem representing the estates of the deceased students, seek formal damages and constitutional remedies against the state. In its submission filed by the attorney general’s legal team, the state maintains that it observed all relevant duties of care, fulfilled its emergency obligations, and provided extensive post-disaster financial and logistical support.

In its 12-page submission, the state broadly traverses the allegations in the statement of claim. The defence explicitly denies that the state exposed the students to any unreasonable or foreseeable risk of death or injury, contending that emergency escape routes were available and that fire safety procedures had been communicated through training.

According to the defendant, members of the Guyana Fire Service conducted safety training and distributed evacuation plans to Mahdia school dormitories during Fire Safety Week in October 2022, while fire drills were held monthly across Mahdia’s educational facilities. The filing asserts that the catastrophe resulted entirely from the “deliberate, intentional and malicious act of a third party” who set the blaze after her cellular phone was confiscated. The state notes that the Director of Public Prosecutions subsequently charged the student involved with 20 counts of murder.

The document details the state’s emergency medical airlift from the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle to Mahdia, highlighting the mobilisation of military aircraft, cabinet members, and specialist burn units from the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The defence further outlines full government coverage for medical treatments, local hotel stays, counselling, specialised transport to Mount Sinai Health Centre in New York, and all funeral expenses.

Addressing financial settlements, the filing discloses that the government offered ex-gratia packages consisting of GY$5 million to families of the deceased, GY$3 million for severe injuries, and GY$500,000 for minor injuries. The attorney general contends that independent legal counsel was provided on-site in Mahdia during July and August 2023, and that parents retained full autonomy to decline the agreements. The filing indicates that while most families accepted the terms, the claimant’s family was contacted at least three times but declined to participate.

The formal court claims stand in contrast to accounts gathered during a four-day field investigation by Stabroek News across Mahdia, Campbelltown, and Micobie. Speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of official reprisal, parents of 11 deceased girls and surviving dormitory boys described an atmosphere of pressure, unkept pledges, and systemic disregard.

Multiple parents alleged that government representatives forced them into signing financial releases shortly after the disaster. “Sign this agreement or you have nothing else to get from the government,” one parent recalled an official stating. Another mother expressed deep remorse over the transaction: “Five million is not enough. I spent more than that bringing up my daughter… I feel guilty, like I sold my child’s life for 5 million.” Parents added that when they requested outside legal assistance or line-by-line explanations of the non-liability clauses, those requests were dismissed.

Grieving families also reported that promised physical memorials have failed to materialise. Declarations made in mid-2023 regarding fenced grounds, tiled tombs, and dedicated memorial structures in Region 8 remain unfulfilled. “They promised to fence the ground where the tombs are, nothing,” one parent stated. Community members in Campbelltown expressed similar skepticism over offers of government food hampers, questioning how basic items address severe, unresolved trauma.

The operational reality described by families is mirrored in the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the disaster. The CoI report identified systemic leadership failures within the Guyana Fire Service and the Ministry of Education, pointing to a legacy of unaddressed risks.

Specifically, the inquiry highlighted the 2017 Caesar Report, which had flagged severe structural and safety deficiencies across interior school dormitories years prior. The CoI concluded that a prolonged failure to implement those recommendations constituted gross neglect, leaving the Mahdia facility without functional firefighting tools, breathing apparatus, or adequate emergency exits when the fire broke out.

Local residents further described interference in their attempts to seek accountability. Protests organised by teachers and students were reportedly discouraged by regional village leadership, while parents in Micobie stated they were intentionally excluded from local CoI outreach sessions. Families recounted chartering private transportation at significant personal cost to attend public proceedings, only to find meetings concluded or their testimonies suppressed.

Conditions for students remaining at the Mahdia compound continue to draw concern. Male students residing in the adjacent dormitories reported irregular water supply, a lack of recreational outlets, and non-functional fire extinguishers.

The psychological toll on survivors and their families remains severe. One mother detailed how her son, traumatised after attempting to pull his sister through a breach in the burning building, subsequently required emergency medical intervention following a suicide attempt. Parents emphasised that structured, long-term mental health therapy across Region 8 remains virtually non-existent.

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• Amerindian Heritage Month, High Court, Mahdia dorm fire, negligence

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