A horrifying late-night inferno at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has left at least 16 students dead and dozens more injured, prompting the government to order an indefinite closure of the institution.
The catastrophic blaze broke out just after midnight inside the Meline Waithera dormitory block, which was housing approximately 220 students from Grade 10, Form 3, and Form 4.
Emergency response teams, including the Kenya Red Cross, Nakuru County fire brigade, and the Kenya Defence Forces, rushed to the scene to battle the roaring flames that swallowed the second floor of the building, where several victims tragically became trapped behind locked doors.
In a harrowing account of survival, traumatized students recounted the sheer terror of being woken up in the middle of the night by thick, choking smoke and the frantic screams of their peers.
With the main exits blocked or locked, the dormitory rapidly turned into a death trap, forcing several terrified girls on the top floor to make the desperate, perilous decision to jump out of windows to escape the advancing fire. First responders noted that many of the survivors sustained serious limb fractures and smoke inhalation injuries during their frantic escape.
Initial statements from survivors given to emergency teams suggested that the fire may have been sparked after a mattress was lit with a match on the top floor, though authorities are investigating the exact motive and cause.
The tragedy has plunged the nation into deep mourning and sparked immense public outrage over recurrent school fire safety failures across the country.
Distraught parents converged outside the school gates in an agony of suspense, searching for their daughters amidst scenes of chaos as police and medical personnel evacuated the injured to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Gilgil.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, who visited the school alongside other government officials, announced the formation of a multi-agency team to investigate the incident, warning that anyone found culpable—whether a student or an administrator—will face full legal accountability.
President William Ruto and other national leaders have sent heartfelt condolences to the grieving families, promising maximum state support as investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) work to uncover the definitive cause behind one of the country’s deadliest boarding school disasters in recent years.