Probe Deepens as Nine Kenyan Students Detained Over Boarding School Fire That Killed 16

A Kenyan court in Naivasha has ordered nine teenage girls to remain in custody for 21 days while investigators build a case of arson in connection with a dormitory fire that claimed 16 lives. The suspect range in age from secondary school students and are accused of setting the blaze that ripped through the Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, in the early hours of May 28.

More than 70 other students were injured, some critically. Autopsy reports confirmed that all 16 victims died from severe burns. Between 74 and 79 girls sustained injuries in total. The school has been closed indefinitely.

Firefighters and forensic teams discovered paraffin and matches at the scene. Security camera footage captured the fire being started on a mattress near a designated emergency exit, according to investigators. A school principal is also accused of failing to unlock that marked escape route during the chaos.

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Prosecutors initially requested 30 days of pretrial detention to allow DNA testing and further evidence collection. Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramathan settled on 21 days instead.

The motive remains unclear, but investigators suspect disagreements over the exam timetable and unpaid school fees may have triggered the attack. Interior Minister Kipchunkur Murkomen visited the site and noted that many of the academy’s students are children of police officers. Reports indicate that daughters of senior police officials are among both the nine suspects and the 16 deceased.

In response to the tragedy, Kenya’s Ministry of Education has ordered a nationwide 10-day inspection of all boarding schools. Officials will check fire extinguishers, ventilation systems, and the accessibility of emergency exits. Schools found in violation face legal consequences.

The disaster has reignited a national debate about boarding-school safety. Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika and several parliamentarians are calling for a formal commission of inquiry into the pattern of deadly school fires. Some have even proposed phasing out boarding schools altogether in favor of day schools.

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This incident follows a string of similar catastrophes. In September 2024, a fire killed 17 students at a school in central Kenya. In 2001, 67 students died in a blaze at Kyanguli Secondary School. The current investigation is examining both the immediate cause of the fire and broader failures in supervision and safety protocols within the country’s education system.

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