A fire broke out at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County on May 27, trapping 220 students in a dormitory. First responders including local resident Steven Muiruri worked to rescue girls from the burning building, breaking down doors and helping students escape through windows amid thick smoke and locked exits.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
DNA sampling started Saturday at Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital Mortuary to identify 16 students who died in a dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County. Parents, frustrated by communication gaps and delays, threatened to storm the school demanding answers about their children's identities and whereabouts.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Ministry of Education has dissolved the Board of Management of Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, following a deadly fire that claimed 16 learners' lives. The board was disbanded for failing to ensure compliance with the School Safety Manual and Basic Education Regulations, with safety lapses including dormitory overcrowding and a locked exit door.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The DCI has launched an investigation into a deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, which claimed 16 student lives. Eight students have been arrested as persons of interest in connection with the suspected arson attack.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen says the deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil could have been caused by possible negligence by the administration. Eight students have been arrested as persons of interest in connection with the suspected arson attack, and preliminary investigations found that exit doors had been locked, preventing escapes.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece in The Standard argues that the death of 16 students in a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, highlights systemic failures in school safety and compliance with regulations, citing overcrowding (one dormitory housed 220 students) and a pattern of deadly school fires in recent years.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
A student from Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, described the horror of a midnight fire at the school's dormitory that killed students and injured others.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
A devastating dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has left 16 students dead and scores of others injured.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
A deadly fire broke out in a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, on Thursday, leaving parents searching for their children among hospital admissions and the deceased.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
Detectives have arrested eight students suspected of involvement in a suspected arson attack at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, that killed 16 learners. The DCI identified them as persons of interest after investigations including witness interviews, forensic analysis, and CCTV footage review.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
President William Ruto has assented to three National Assembly Bills: the National Disaster Risk Management Bill, which establishes frameworks and institutions for managing disasters at national and county levels; the Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, which strengthens forestry conservation and research frameworks; and a third bill aimed at promoting equitable development.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
Gloria Orwoba criticized the government for proceeding with the National Prayer Breakfast while a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County killed 16 learners and injured 79 others. She argued the event should have been cancelled in honour of the deceased and accused the government of failing to implement school safety measures despite previous tragedies.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
Families of 16 girls who died in a dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, are accusing the Ministry of Education and the school of failing to follow safety recommendations, noting that students had been locked in the dormitory despite safety risks.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →
Kenyan police arrested eight students over a suspected arson attack at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County that killed 16 children and hospitalised 79 others. The fire broke in the early hours of Thursday at the two-storey dormitory building, and preliminary investigations identified the students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected attack.
29 May 2026 · The Standard →