Kenyan prosecutors on Tuesday announced that several students will face murder charges over the deaths of 16 schoolmates in a dormitory fire that occurred in late May, an incident that deeply shocked the country.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on 28 May at Utumishi Girls’ School in Gilgil, approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Nairobi. Sixteen pupils, aged between 15 and 18, lost their lives in the blaze, while 132 others sustained injuries.
The school primarily serves children of police officers.
Authorities confirmed that nine students from the institution are currently in police custody. Most of them were arrested a day after the incident on suspicion of arson.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), “Upon careful assessment of the evidence, the Director of Public Prosecutions has approved charges against the implicated students.”
A spokesperson for the prosecution said the suspects are expected to be formally charged in court on Wednesday. However, the number of students to be arraigned was not disclosed, as they are minors, and further details were withheld.
Each of the accused will face 16 counts of murder, the statement added.
Kenya has faced a recurring pattern of deadly school dormitory fires, with the Kenyan Red Cross reporting at least 47 such incidents recorded in 2026 alone.
Since the Utumishi tragedy, several other school fires have been reported, prompting dozens of boarding schools to send students home as a precaution against similar disasters.
Security and education experts have linked the recurring incidents partly to copycat behaviour, as well as long-standing frustration within an overstretched and under-resourced education system.
ADEOLA KUNLE
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