Kenya girls' school fire kills 16, eight students arrested

A fire broke out in the early hours of 28 May 2026 at the Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School in Gilgil, central Kenya. The blaze destroyed the upper floor of a dormitory that housed 135 bunk‑beds, killing 16 female students and injuring 79 others.

Kenyan police have arrested eight female students on suspicion of arson, describing them as "persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack." The Education Minister, Julius Ogamba, said two teachers had been warned of a possible plot but did not act, and that the school had violated safety rules by allowing overcrowding and keeping an emergency exit locked. The government has dissolved the school’s board of management and said staff could face legal and disciplinary action.

Parents are waiting for DNA testing to identify the victims, while authorities continue investigations into the fire’s cause. The incident follows a series of deadly school fires in Kenya over the past two decades, including 21 deaths in 2024 and 67 deaths in 2001, prompting calls for stricter safety oversight.