GILGIL, Kenya — Distraught parents are waiting for official identification of victims after a fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in central Kenya, killing 16 students and injuring dozens more.
The blaze broke out shortly after midnight on Thursday at the boarding school in Gilgil, in Nakuru County. Officials said the fire swept through the upper floor of a dormitory that housed students, leaving some victims burned beyond recognition and making DNA testing necessary before families can formally identify the bodies.
Parents have gathered at the school and at mortuary facilities seeking information about their daughters. Some said they had been sent between the school, hospitals and the Naivasha mortuary without clear answers. John Muiruri, whose 13-year-old daughter Nicole was among those unaccounted for, said families wanted authorities to tell them where the remains of their children were.
The DNA sampling exercise began on Saturday after delays that deepened frustration among parents. Forensic teams collected samples from relatives to help match remains to the victims. Authorities said official identification would take time because of the condition of the bodies.
At least 79 students were injured in the fire, though most had been discharged from hospital by Friday. Survivors reportedly described students jumping from windows to escape after being trapped inside the dormitory. Officials said a locked exit door and overcrowding may have worsened the disaster.
Police have arrested eight students on suspicion of arson. Investigators initially questioned about 30 students, and authorities said they were examining claims that a mattress may have been deliberately set on fire. Education Minister Julius Ogamba said two teachers were allegedly aware that students were planning something but failed to act.
The government has dissolved the school’s board and announced disciplinary action against administrators over safety failures. The school, which is managed by Kenya’s police service, is now under intense scrutiny over dormitory conditions and emergency preparedness.
The tragedy has revived painful memories of previous school fires in Kenya, including deadly incidents linked to arson, overcrowding and poor safety enforcement. For families in Gilgil, however, the immediate concern is simpler and more devastating: receiving official confirmation of their children’s fate and recovering their remains for burial.
