The Ministry of Education has revealed that the deadly Utumishi Girls Academy fire in Gilgil, Nakuru County, was an act of arson.
In an update issued as detectives intensified investigations into the tragedy, the ministry said eight learners are being held and questioned as persons of interest.
Investigators are focusing on their alleged individual roles in the planning and execution of the fire, which claimed the lives of 16 students and left scores others injured.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations, DCI, has taken over the case, with the establishment of a dedicated investigation team led by the director of homicide.
“Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with students, teaching staff and other witnesses, while forensic teams carry out a detailed review of available CCTV footage. Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” the DCI said in a statement.
Authorities indicated that the learners could be arraigned in court as early as next week, depending on the outcome of the ongoing probe.
“The multi-agency investigation team, comprising highly specialized personnel including Crime Scene Investigators, Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau officers and forensic DNA experts has processed the scene at Meline Waithera dormitory,” said the DCI.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School, with initial government reports confirming 16 deaths and 79 injuries. Earlier accounts indicated that the affected dormitory housed about 220 learners and that some students were forced to jump from windows after being trapped.
Beyond the suspected criminal act, the ministry’s update has also exposed serious institutional failures at the school. Investigators found that the school had failed to comply with key provisions of the School Safety Manual and Basic Education Regulations.
According to the ministry, the dormitory was congested, while one of the exit doors had been locked, contrary to safety requirements. The findings raise fresh questions about whether the scale of the tragedy could have been reduced had basic safety standards been observed.
The ministry further disclosed that two teachers had reportedly been informed of the planned attack and the risks involved but failed to take appropriate action. The Teachers Service Commission has since initiated disciplinary proceedings against the two teachers and the school principal over the safety lapses.
The revelations are likely to intensify public anger over the disaster, which has once again placed school safety, dormitory supervision and emergency preparedness under national scrutiny.
While detectives continue to build their case, the ministry’s update points to two parallel failures – the alleged planning and execution of the fire, and the apparent breakdown of safety systems meant to protect learners.
The confirmation that the fire was not accidental deepens the pain of an already devastating tragedy. For the education sector, it is a grim reminder that school safety rules are not administrative formalities, but life-saving obligations.
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