Horror as 15 Students Die in Utumishi Girls' School Dorm Fire in Gilgil

Kenya, 28 May 2026 - At least 15 students are feared dead after a massive fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls’ Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, in a tragedy that has shocked the country.

Dozens of other students were injured and rushed to hospital after the pre-dawn blaze engulfed the packed dormitory housing more than 200 learners.

According to a police report filed at Gilgil Police Station, the incident was reported at around 4.30am by the school principal, Ms Joycelene Muraguri.

Police said officers who rushed to the institution found “one dormitory christened Meline Waithera Block, housing 220 mixed students of Grade 10, Form 3 and Form 4, already on fire.”

The dormitory is located about seven kilometres north of Gilgil town.

The report states that the Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC) for Gilgil led officers from the station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to the scene as terrified students screamed for help while emergency teams battled the flames.

“Joint efforts by fire brigades from Naivasha, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), water bowsers from Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), and National Youth Service (NYS), together with their respective personnel, managed to contain the fire,” the police report says.

Authorities said the number of fatalities was estimated at 15, although verification and identification of victims was still ongoing by the time of going to press.