Nine students arrested in connection with an arson attack that killed 16 girls at a school in Kenya appeared in court on Tuesday. The fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls School in Naivasha, about 90 kilometres west of Nairobi, on 28 May, housing 202 students.
Investigators have requested more time to probe the incident. The High Court in Naivasha is expected to rule on Wednesday on whether the girls can be detained for a month pending further investigations. The suspects have been in police custody for five days, during which interrogations revealed the fire was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory’s exit using a matchstick and paraffin.
The school matron failed to open an emergency door, forcing all students to scramble through a single exit, according to investigators. Authorities have said that school administrators will face disciplinary action for safety violations, and that two teachers were aware of students' plans but did not take appropriate action.
No motive has been disclosed. CCTV footage showed six students starting the fire moments before the students woke up, leading to a rush to escape that left 79 wounded. DNA test results to identify charred bodies are expected on Wednesday.
Since the incident, five more school fires have occurred across the country, with the Kenya Red Cross responding to 37 school fires since the start of the year. School fires are common in Kenya due to overcrowded classrooms and dormitories and a lack of firefighting equipment. The deadliest such fire occurred in 2001, killing 67 students in Machakos County.
