Eight Students Arrested Following Deadly Arson Attack at Kenya’s Utumishi Girls Academy

Kenyan police have arrested eight students in connection with a devastating arson attack at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, which claimed the lives of 16 schoolgirls and left 79 others injured. The fire, which broke out shortly after midnight on Thursday, ravaged a dormitory housing approximately 135 students. Emergency responders and survivors reported a harrowing scene as the blaze burned for over two hours, forcing many students to jump from windows to escape the flames after finding exit doors locked. While 71 of the injured have since been discharged from the hospital, the tragedy has left the local community and the nation in mourning as forensic teams work to identify the deceased through DNA testing. The arrests followed an intensive investigation involving forensic analysis of CCTV footage and interviews with at least 30 students and staff members. Authorities suspect the fire was a deliberate act of arson, with preliminary reports from survivors suggesting that a student may have ignited a mattress using a match. The eight suspects were identified through these investigative efforts as the primary individuals linked to the start of the blaze. This development comes as families express significant frustration over the chaotic identification process at the morgue and a perceived lack of communication from school authorities regarding the welfare of their children. In the wake of the tragedy, Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba announced the immediate dissolution of the school’s management board and confirmed that disciplinary actions would be taken against staff for severe safety breaches. Investigations revealed that the dormitory was significantly overcrowded and that vital exit doors had been locked from the outside, trapping students inside and hindering evacuation efforts. These violations of safety protocols have been cited as a primary reason for the high fatality rate, prompting the government to call for an urgent review and stricter enforcement of residential school standards across the country. This incident highlights a troubling and recurring trend of school fires in Kenya, with over 100 such cases recorded in 2024 alone. Historically, these fires have often been linked to student protests against harsh living conditions and strict disciplinary measures, reminiscent of the 2001 Kyanguli Secondary School fire that killed 67 pupils. As advocates and parents demand stricter safety audits, the Utumishi Girls Academy tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the systemic failures within the region's boarding school system, sparking renewed calls for comprehensive reforms to protect students from future disasters.