Kenya to Charge Eight Students With Murder Over Deadly School Dormitory Fire

Eight students accused of involvement in the deadly Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire are set to face 16 murder charges each after prosecutors transferred the case to Nairobi citing security concerns.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Eight students accused of involvement in the deadly fire at Kenya’s Utumishi Girls Academy are expected to face murder charges after prosecutors secured a court order transferring the case to Nairobi, marking the latest stage in one of the country’s most closely watched school tragedy investigations.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said each of the eight students will face 16 counts of murder in connection with the fire that swept through a girls’ dormitory on 28 May, killing 16 pupils and injuring dozens more. The accused remain in custody and are expected to appear before the High Court for plea-taking.

The case was moved from Naivasha after prosecutors argued that trying the suspects near the scene of the tragedy could expose them to security risks and public hostility. A magistrate approved the transfer and ordered the students to remain at the Nairobi Children’s Remand Home pending court proceedings.

The overnight blaze engulfed an upper-floor dormitory housing more than 200 students at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120 kilometres north-west of Nairobi. Authorities said 79 other pupils were injured, many while attempting to escape through a building where investigators later reported significant safety failures.

Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said witness interviews, forensic examinations and CCTV footage identified the eight students as persons of interest in what police described as the planning and execution of the fire. Authorities allege mattresses were deliberately set alight near an exit shortly before the blaze spread rapidly through the dormitory.

A ninth student who had initially been under investigation was released after prosecutors withdrew charges, saying there was insufficient evidence linking that individual to the alleged offence.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has previously said preliminary investigations uncovered multiple breaches of safety regulations at the school, including overcrowded dormitories and a locked emergency exit. The government dissolved the school’s board and ordered disciplinary action against officials found to have failed in their duties.

The Utumishi Girls Academy fire has renewed scrutiny of safety standards in Kenyan boarding schools, where fatal dormitory fires have occurred repeatedly over the past two decades. Previous investigations into similar incidents have identified overcrowding, inadequate fire safety measures and arson as recurring factors.

The tragedy prompted nationwide mourning, with memorial services and funerals attended by families, students, government officials and members of the public, many of whom have called for accountability and reforms to improve student safety.

The accused students have not yet entered pleas, and the allegations against them remain before the courts. Under Kenyan law, they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The High Court is expected to begin formal plea proceedings in the coming days.

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