Utumishi Girls Fire: 16 Killed, Survivors Reveal Suspected Arson

A fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil early Thursday, killing at least 16 students and injuring dozens more in one of the deadliest school blazes in Kenya in recent years.

The blaze broke out shortly after midnight on the second floor of the dormitory housing approximately 220 girls, ages 14 to 18, at the boarding school located about 120km (76 miles) northwest of Nairobi in Nakuru County.

The education minister, Julius Migos Ogamba, told reporters that 79 other students were injured, although 71 of them have already been discharged from hospital. Ogamba said: “Investigations are ongoing, but the cause of the fire is not yet identified.”

First responders reported that doors on the second floor were initially locked, forcing some students to jump from windows. Multiple survivors told emergency personnel that a student had used a match to set a mattress on fire, though authorities have not confirmed a motive and the account remains under investigation.

The Kenya Red Cross said the fire was reported around 3.30am. “Several students have been evacuated and are receiving treatment in various hospitals,” the organisation posted on X. A multi-agency operation involving the county fire brigade, disaster teams, police and Red Cross continued into the morning.

Parents rushed to the school Thursday morning, many waiting anxiously for news of their daughters amid scenes of grief and confusion.

Wambui Nderitu, whose cousin is a student at the school, said family members coming to the scene were met with confusion and fear.

“When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in hospital.”

President William Ruto expressed condolences, saying the nation was mourning “young lives filled with promise, hope and dreams for the future”.

In a social media post, he added: “No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives… Our immediate attention is focused on the rescue of those affected, the treatment of the injured, and support for their families, while investigations continue.”

The tragedy is the latest fatal fire at a school in Kenya in recent years. In 2024, 21 boys were killed at Hillside Endarasha Academy in central Kenya when fire razed down their dormitory, while in 2017 nine girls died in a blaze at a school in Kibera, Moi Girls School.

Previously, in 2016, there were around 120 reported cases of students setting fire to their dormitories, often in protest against harsh discipline or poor conditions.

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