Eight Students Arrested Over Deadly Kenya School Fire That Claimed 16 Lives

Kenyan authorities have arrested eight students in connection with a devastating fire at a girls’ boarding school that claimed the lives of 16 students and left dozens injured, as investigations increasingly point to arson as the cause of one of the country’s deadliest school disasters in recent years. 

The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, a town in west-central Kenya, engulfing a dormitory while students were asleep.

According to Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), preliminary findings identified eight students as persons of interest in what investigators described as a suspected deliberate act of arson.

“Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” the DCI said in a statement, confirming that all eight students are currently in police custody.

The tragedy also left 79 students injured, with many receiving treatment for burns, smoke inhalation and other related injuries.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba disclosed that early investigations uncovered serious lapses in safety management at the school. He revealed that two teachers had reportedly received information about plans to set the dormitory ablaze but failed to take preventive action.

 The minister further cited overcrowded dormitories and a locked emergency exit during the incident as critical factors that worsened the death toll.

In response, the Kenyan government has dissolved the school’s Board of Management and promised disciplinary and legal action against any staff found culpable for negligence.

The incident has reignited concerns over recurring school fires in Kenya, many of which researchers have linked to student unrest, disciplinary disputes and poor living conditions in boarding facilities.

School fire tragedies have repeatedly shaken the East African nation. In 2024, a boarding school fire in Nyeri County killed 21 pupils, while the deadliest school fire in Kenya’s recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died at Kyanguli Secondary School near Nairobi in an incident authorities also blamed on arson.

The latest tragedy has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in schools and greater oversight of boarding facilities across the country.