Officials in Kenya are investigating a deadly fire that killed 16 students and injured dozens of others at a girls’ boarding school in Nakuru County, marking the latest in a series of tragic dormitory blazes that have plagued the country’s education system.
The blaze broke out around 1 a.m. local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 74 miles northwest of Nairobi. More than 800 students were sleeping on campus when flames engulfed a dormitory block housing about 220 pupils. Firefighters brought the fire under control by early morning, according to the BBC.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba announced the death toll, describing the incident as a “regrettable fire tragedy” and extending condolences to families of the victims. Most of the injured students have been released from hospitals.
Investigation Underway
The cause of the fire remained unknown late in the day. Ogamba urged the public to refrain from speculation while investigators worked to determine what happened. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen called on Kenyans to stand with the bereaved families in prayer.
Police commander Masoud Mwinyi described the scene as dire. “It is a sad and distressing situation,” he said. Search-and-rescue teams continued their work into the evening, accounting for students who had scattered during the panic. Officials had not yet released the names of the dead, pending notification of families.
Frantic Escape From the Flames
Police believe the fire started on the first floor while students were asleep. When the dormitory became engulfed, students on upper floors jumped from windows to escape the smoke and heat, sustaining broken bones and other injuries on impact. Others fled into the surrounding countryside in panic.
“As we speak, our officers are combing the area because some students fled in shock and fear during the night,” Mwinyi told reporters at the scene.
By the time officers arrived, the dormitory was already engulfed in flames. The Kenya Red Cross said its first responders, an E-Plus ambulance crew and psychosocial support personnel deployed to the school in the early hours of the morning to assist students and coordinate with other agencies. Access to the campus was restricted throughout the day, with only parents permitted past the police line as the investigation began.
Parents Wait in Anguish
Families queued for hours outside the gates waiting for word on their daughters. About 12 hours after the fire was extinguished, parents were still on the ground, some pleading with officers for any scrap of information.
“We trusted this school with our children. Right now we don’t even know who is alive,” one parent told the BBC.
Wambui Nderitu arrived to look for her cousin and found her with a broken leg — one of the students who had jumped from an upper floor. “When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in the hospital,” Nderitu said. Her cousin had survived.
Roselyn Rakamba rushed to the academy after a friend alerted her to the fire. On the way, her 14-year-old daughter reached her by phone to say she was safe. The relief, Rakamba said, was tempered by grief for those whose children had not survived. She described the school community as a family.
The school is linked to the National Police Service, and most of its pupils are children of officers.
A Familiar Tragedy in Kenya
Government data shows more than 100 school fires occurred across Kenya in 2024 alone. Investigators have repeatedly traced the high death tolls to the same structural failings: overcrowded dormitories, grilled windows that prevent escape, single exits and doors that open inward rather than outward — conditions the Ministry of Education identified in a 2024 review but has struggled to fully address.
A 2024 assessment by the Ministry of Education found that many school dormitories still featured grills on windows and inward-opening doors, conditions that can trap students inside during emergencies. Following that review, the ministry shuttered 348 schools that failed to meet safety standards, according to a report citing the education ministry.
More recently, a fire tore through a dormitory housing boys at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, killing 21 pupils aged between 10 and 14.
Kenya’s deadliest school fire occurred when two 16-year-old students set a dormitory alight at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos County, killing 67 boys — a crime attributed to student grievances over fee arrears and cancelled exam results. No one was ever convicted.
Investigators have attributed past fires to a mix of arson — often blamed on disgruntled students protesting discipline or living conditions — and accidental causes.