Nine students accused of planning and executing an arson attack that killed 16 girls at a school in central Kenya appeared in court on Tuesday. Investigators have requested additional time to probe the deadly fire, which occurred on May 28 at the Utumishi Girls School dormitory housing 202 students.
Court Proceedings
The High Court in Naivasha, located 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Nairobi, announced it will issue a ruling on Wednesday regarding whether the accused girls can be detained for a month pending further investigations. The girls have been in police custody for five days, during which interrogations revealed that the fire was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory's exit using a matchstick and paraffin. No motive has been disclosed so far.
Details of the Incident
The fire ripped through the dormitory early in the morning, forcing students to scramble through a single door after the school matron failed to open an emergency exit. CCTV footage obtained from the razed building showed six students starting the fire moments before the students woke up, rushing to escape the blaze that left 79 wounded. DNA test results to identify the bodies charred beyond recognition are expected on Wednesday.
Rise in School Fires
Since the incident, five more school fires have occurred in different parts of the country, and the Kenya Red Cross has responded to 37 school fires since the beginning of the year. Fortunately, no other school fire has resulted in casualties. School fires are common in Kenya, where classrooms and dormitories are often overcrowded and firefighting equipment is rarely accessible. The deadliest such incident occurred in 2001, when 67 students died in Machakos County, and the most recent fatal event was in 2024, when 21 children died in Nyeri County.
There have also been instances of students burning down schools due to disciplinary issues, highlighting a broader challenge in the country's education system.
