NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A solemn memorial service took place Friday in the central Kenyan town of Gilgil, where hundreds of people came together to remember 16 female students who lost their lives in a dormitory fire last month that law enforcement officials determined was deliberately set. Nine suspects are currently in custody.
The deceased girls from Utumishi Girls Academy were laid to rest in white caskets decorated with floral arrangements and topped with photographs of each victim. The caskets were arranged before their grieving families, fellow students, community members and area officials, all demanding accountability.
The nine students accused in the case, all from the same school, are being held by police. Investigators have determined that the May 28 fire was ignited by setting a mattress ablaze near the dormitory exit using matches and paraffin. Officials have not disclosed what motivated the attack.
At the memorial ceremony, hundreds of students from Utumishi Girls Academy performed a mournful hymn expressing hope that everything would be okay. One official conducting the service shared his experience as a survivor of Kenya’s most devastating school fire in 2001, which claimed 67 male students in a dormitory blaze in Machakos County in eastern Kenya.
Attendees demanded justice and accountability while dozens of educational institutions have shuttered recently due to student disturbances. The Kenya Red Cross reported responding to 37 school fires since January began.
Educational facility fires occur frequently throughout Kenya, with some resulting from deliberate acts by students opposing disciplinary actions or upcoming tests, while others stem from electrical problems.
Overcrowded sleeping quarters, inadequate emergency escape routes and limited firefighting resources have frequently led to fatalities and significant property destruction.
Last month, Kenya’s Education Ministry removed the principal of Utumishi Girls Academy for violating fire safety requirements. The ministry also announced it had shuttered more than 300 educational facilities after a 2024 fire incident that killed 21 male students in central Kenya.
At Friday’s memorial ceremony, which Kenyan first lady Rachel Ruto attended, the officiating bishop asked how much longer Kenyan children and families would endure such school fire tragedies.
The school captain, Abigael Wanjiku, remembered the deceased girls as “friends, study partners, teammates and companions.”
“The pain of losing them is one that we will carry for a long time,” she said.
A mother speaking for the parents became emotional and broke down during her remarks as she demanded accountability and justice, while assuring the surviving students that their safety remained the top concern.
