NAKURU, Kenya — Detectives have detained eight students students on suspicion of arson from Utumishi Girls Academy as investigations intensify into the deadly dormitory fire that killed 16 learners and left several others injured in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
Police believe the inferno, which broke out in the early hours of Thursday, May 28, at around 12:45am, may have been an arson attack that rapidly engulfed the upper floor of a dormitory, trapping students inside as they slept.
“Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said in a statement.
“The eight girls have since been arrested and are currently in police custody.”
According to investigators, at least 79 other students sustained injuries in the incident and were rushed to various hospitals for treatment. Seventy-one have since been discharged in stable condition, while a smaller number remain under care.
Security sources said the eight detained students were held within the school compound on Thursday night as detectives conducted questioning to reconstruct the events leading up to the blaze. Other learners who had left the institution with parents and guardians were also reportedly recalled to assist with investigations.
Police are pursuing multiple leads, including accounts from survivors who alleged that security lights within the school compound are routinely switched off at around 10:10pm every night, a claim investigators are now verifying as part of the wider probe into possible lapses in safety procedures.
Detectives are also examining allegations that the affected dormitory may have been locked from the outside at the time of the fire, potentially restricting escape routes and contributing to the high number of casualties.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is further exploring whether tension related to upcoming examinations scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, could have played a role in triggering the suspected arson attack.
A government pathologist involved in the post-mortem process said some of the bodies recovered from the scene were burnt beyond recognition, complicating formal identification and delaying the release of victims to their families.
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Officials confirmed that the school had a total population of 815 students, with 808 present during the incident and seven away from the institution for undisclosed reasons.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has urged the public to avoid speculation as investigations continue, saying authorities must first establish whether the institution complied with national school safety standards.
“Let’s not be speculative at this stage. We have a school safety manual that all schools adhere to. Let’s wait and see if the manual was adhered to after the investigation,” Ogamba said.
The fire has intensified national scrutiny of boarding school safety standards in Kenya, coming less than 24 hours after another blaze at Gacharage Secondary School in Murang’a County raised fresh concerns over student safety in residential institutions.
