Eight Students Held Over Deadly School Dorm Fire

Kenya, 29 May 2026 - Detectives have arrested eight students in connection with the deadly fire that tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, killing 16 learners in one of the country’s worst school tragedies in recent years.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday said preliminary findings point to a suspected arson attack, with investigators now focusing on what they described as the “planning and execution” of the inferno that devastated the school on Thursday morning.

The arrests came as homicide detectives, forensic experts and crime scene investigators intensified a high-level probe into the blaze that engulfed the first floor of the Meline Waithera Dormitory.

“Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” the DCI said in a statement.

The eight girls are currently in police custody as detectives continue recording statements and analysing evidence, including CCTV footage recovered from the school.

The DCI said the investigation is being led by the Director of Homicide following the conclusion of rescue and emergency response operations coordinated by the National Police Service and other state agencies.

Investigators processing the scene recovered 16 bodies from the burnt dormitory, with the remains moved to Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations and formal identification.

According to the DCI, the affected dormitory is a two-storey building whose upper floor suffered extensive fire damage while the ground floor remained largely intact.