A fire at Utumishi Girls School in Gilgil, about 120 kilometres west of Nairobi, killed at least 16 students and left dozens injured after flames swept through a dormitory in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Police said close to 74 other students were receiving treatment in hospital following the incident, which happened while students were asleep inside the boarding facility.
According to authorities and the Kenya Red Cross, the fire started around 01:00 local time and quickly engulfed a dormitory housing about 220 students.
Emergency teams and rescue workers were deployed to the school as investigations into the cause of the fire continued.
Police commander Masoud Mwinyi described the situation as “sad and distressing” while addressing parents and residents gathered outside the school.
Authorities said some students fled into nearby areas during the confusion and were still being traced hours after the incident.
Mwinyi said security officers were combing surrounding areas because several students escaped in fear during the night.
The school compound was later cordoned off, with only parents allowed access as rescue and investigation efforts continued.
A relative of one of the students, Wambui Nderitu, said families arriving at the school were met with panic and uncertainty after hearing reports of deaths and injuries.
She explained that some students sustained injuries after jumping from upper floors while trying to escape the burning building.
Nderitu said her cousin survived the fire but suffered a broken leg during the escape.
School fires have occurred repeatedly in Kenya over the years, with many incidents linked to arson, overcrowding in dormitories and failures to follow safety regulations.
Some previous investigations have blamed angry students protesting discipline or living conditions for setting fires in boarding schools, while other incidents were found to have resulted from accidents.
One of Kenya’s deadliest school fires occurred in 2001 in Machakos County, where 67 students died after a dormitory was set ablaze.
Other deadly incidents were also recorded in 2024, 2022 and 2017, causing deaths and destruction in schools across the country.
In 2021, Kenya’s education ministry informed a parliamentary committee that close to 126 cases of school arson were recorded between January and November 2020.
Research cited by Reuters also indicated that about 60 arson incidents were documented in Kenyan schools in 2018.
Police said investigations into the latest fire were ongoing.
Ojo Triumph
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