GILGIL — A fire broke out at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Kenya, in the early hours of Thursday, killing 16 students and injuring 79 others. The blaze engulfed a dormitory block housing about 220 students around 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT Wednesday).

Eight students were arrested on Friday in connection with a suspected arson attack, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said. Preliminary findings identified the students as persons of interest linked to the planning and execution of the fire, and they remain in police custody as investigations continue.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said preliminary investigations found that two teachers had allegedly been informed of possible plans to start the fire but failed to intervene. Ogamba accused the school administration of ignoring safety regulations, citing overcrowded dormitories and a locked emergency exit during the fire, which may have contributed to the high death toll. The Kenyan government disbanded the school’s board of management and vowed legal and disciplinary action against any staff found to have neglected their duties. Ogamba pledged, "We will continue inspections to ensure that our schools meet the safety standards."

President William Ruto described the fire as an "unimaginable tragedy" and said, "Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters." Ruto declared three days of national mourning following the incident. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen expressed condolences to bereaved families and urged Kenyans to avoid speculation while investigations continue.

Utumishi Girls’ Academy is a government-owned secondary school managed and sponsored by the Kenya Police Service, and many students are daughters of police officers.

School fires are a recurring problem in Kenya, with many incidents linked to student protests over harsh discipline and poor living conditions in boarding institutions. In 2024, a fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County killed 21 students, though the cause was never conclusively established. Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent decades occurred in 2001 at Kyanguli Secondary School near Nairobi, where 67 boys were killed in a dormitory blaze authorities blamed on arson. A 2024 Ministry of Education assessment found that most Kenyan schools had dormitories with grills on windows, single exits, and doors that opened inwards, compromising occupant safety. Following that review, the ministry closed 348 schools with immediate effect for failing to comply with safety standards.