Nine Kenyan schoolgirls are expected to face murder charges following a devastating dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 16 students and left more than 130 others injured, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
The tragedy occurred shortly after midnight on May 28 at the Utumishi Girls’ School in Gilgil, about 100 kilometers north of Nairobi. The fire swept through a dormitory, killing students aged between 15 and 18 and plunging the nation into mourning.
The suspects, all students at the school, were arrested a day after the incident on suspicion of arson and have remained in custody while investigations continued. After reviewing evidence submitted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions authorized formal charges against those allegedly involved.
Prosecutors said the students will face 16 counts of murder related to the fire. Because the suspects are minors, authorities have not disclosed how many of the nine detained students will ultimately be charged. Court proceedings are expected to begin shortly.
The Utumishi academy primarily serves children of police officers and is one of many Kenyan boarding schools where students live on campus—a system rooted in the country’s colonial and missionary-era education traditions.
The fire has also renewed concerns about a troubling rise in school dormitory blazes across Kenya. According to the Kenya Red Cross, at least 47 dormitory fires have been recorded nationwide in 2026 alone. Several additional incidents have occurred since the Utumishi tragedy, prompting dozens of boarding schools to send students home as a precaution.
Education experts point to a combination of copycat behavior, growing student unrest, and long-standing frustrations with an underfunded and highly demanding education system as possible factors behind the surge in school fires.
In response, prosecutors expressed deep concern over the increasing number of arson attacks and other forms of misconduct in educational institutions. They warned that anyone found responsible for such crimes would face the full force of the law.
The case is expected to become one of the most closely watched school-related criminal trials in Kenya’s recent history, as authorities seek answers and accountability following one of the country’s deadliest school fires.
