Kenya: Horror fire tears through dormitory at girls' school killing at least 15 students

A fire tore through a dormitory at a girls’ school overnight, killing at least 15 students, police said on Thursday. A horror blaze erupted at around 1am at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, in Kenya’s Rift Valley.

Gilgil Police said at least 74 students had also been injured and the fire had been contained, according to a police report seen by Reuters. The cause of the fire was not known, it said. Footage aired by Citizen Television showed broken window panes and smoke-stained walls. The fire broke out in the Meline Waithera Block dormitory which was housing 220 pupils, most of them studying in Grade 10, according to reports – making them between 15 and 17 years old.

Around 50 police officers rushed to the scene, while searches were carried out around the school for students who may have fled when the fire broke out.

Masoud Mwinyi, a senior police commander, told reporters at the school: “It is a distressing and saddening situation.

“As we speak now, we are combing the area. Out of fear and anxiety, many students moved outside, and this happened at night.

“Our team of nearly fifty officers is searching the surrounding areas to establish who may still be out there.” The fire broke out at around 1am local time with several students being treated for injuries in hospital.

A police investigation into the incident has been launched.

“One thing we want to assure parents and the nation is that investigations started immediately. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has already dispatched a team, and they are currently on the ground,” added Mwinyi.

Kenya’s Red Cross are “currently on the ground supporting affected students”. Alongside their first responders the humanitarian charity sent an E-Plus ambulance crew aswell as their psychosocial support personnel.

Kalonzo Musyoka, who has previously served as the vice president of Kenya, wrote on X that he joins “all Kenyans in mourning the precious lives of the young girls taken”.

He added: “They were daughters, sisters, and friends; precious girls full of dreams, full of promise, full of life. Today, their families are shattered, and we weep together with them.

“To the bereaved families: there are no words adequate for this moment. I stand with you, and I hold you in my heart and in my prayers.”

Musyoka, leader of the opposition Wiper Patriotic Front party, also called on the government to prevent similar tragedies occurring in the future.

He said: “Today, as the political leadership gathers for the National Prayer Breakfast, I call upon them not to let today’s prayers end in that hall. Let them translate into urgent and decisive action.

“As leaders, we will be judged not by what we said in prayer this morning, but by what we did for the least of these in the days that follow.

“Let us honour these young lives not merely with tears and tributes, but with action that ensures no other family endures this unbearable pain.”

A statement from the Kenya Police Service said: “Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat is at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, where police are leading rescue and emergency response efforts following a tragic dormitory fire in which a number of students have unfortunately lost their lives.

“Several other students were injured and are receiving treatment as the National Police Service, working alongside the Kenya Defence Forces, Ministry of Education, Interior, The County Government of Nakuru, the NGAO, The Kenya Redcross and other emergency teams, continues with search, rescue and support operations.

“We are working to account for all students and support affected families during this difficult time.”