GILGIL, Kenya — A tragic overnight blaze at a Kenyan girls’ boarding school has claimed the lives of at least 16 students, marking another devastating incident for the East African country, according to a government official.
Julius Ogamba, the Education Minister, announced Thursday that 79 additional students suffered injuries in the fire at Utumishi Girls School, an institution serving more than 800 pupils in the Gilgil region of central Kenya.
Investigators have not yet determined what sparked the deadly blaze. Ogamba stated that officials will examine whether the institution followed proper fire safety protocols.
Law enforcement officials reported they are spearheading rescue operations and emergency response at the facility, situated approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Nairobi, the nation’s capital.
The secondary institution is a government-operated school under the management and sponsorship of the Kenya Police Service. A significant number of enrolled students are children of law enforcement officers.
Officials have not released the identities of those who perished in the fire.
Wambui Nderitu, a witness at the location, reported that a matron unlocked one of two dormitory exits “without alerting the children to exit.”
“The second door remained closed, and even though my cousin escaped with a leg injury, we’ve been told many children are injured and some died,” Nderitu stated.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that multiple students were transported from the scene and are now receiving medical care at different healthcare facilities.
The organization reported deploying “tracing and psychosocial support teams to support affected students and families.”
The most catastrophic school fire in Kenya’s recent past took place in 2001, when 67 pupils lost their lives in a dormitory blaze in Machakos County.
During 2024, 21 students perished in a school fire in central Kenya. President William Ruto announced three days of mourning.
In 2017, 10 students died in a school fire in Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.
