At least 16 girls killed in Kenyan school fire

At least 16 students were killed and dozens injured after a fire swept through a dormitory at a girls' boarding school in Kenya's Nakuru County overnight, authorities said Thursday, in one of the country's deadliest school fires in recent years.

Initial reports indicate that the blaze broke out shortly after midnight at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil town, some 120 kilometers northwest of the capital Nairobi. Witnesses said it burned for more than two hours before it was brought under control.

Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba said 79 students were injured, though most had already been discharged from hospital by Thursday afternoon.

"We have 16 fatalities. It's an unfortunate incident...on behalf of the Ministry of Education and on my own behalf, I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and relatives of the learners who lost their lives in this sorrowful incident. We wish a quick recovery to those who were injured. We pray that God grants everyone strength and fortitude during this difficult and painful period," he said. 

Images broadcast on Kenyan television showed smoke-blackened walls, shattered dormitory windows and anxious parents gathered outside the school compound awaiting news about missing daughters.

Authorities said the cause of the fire had not yet been established.

"Investigations are ongoing," Ogamba said, urging the public to avoid speculation while forensic teams examined the scene.

One parent, Eunice Mureithi, whose daughter escaped the fire, said survivors described flames spreading rapidly through part of the building, trapping some students inside.

"The fire started from an upper dome and spread all over within that time," she told local news. "A lot of them were able to escape."

President William Ruto called the deaths an "unimaginable tragedy" and offered condolences to the affected families.

The school is affiliated with Kenya's National Police Service, and many of the students are children of police officers, according to Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen.

"Seventy-one have since been discharged, while seven students remain admitted in stable condition. One student was picked up by a parent," Murkomen said.

Murkomen said identification of the bodies is ongoing with support from the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, as a multi-agency crisis response team remains on site. The team includes officials from the ministries of interior, education and health, alongside the Kenya Red Cross and the Nakuru county government.

School fires remain a recurring problem in Kenya, where boarding schools are widespread. Government data shows more than 100 school fires were recorded in 2024 alone. Previous investigations and research have linked some incidents to overcrowding, poor infrastructure, exam pressure and student protests over harsh conditions.

The latest tragedy revived memories of past disasters, including a 2001 dormitory fire at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos county that killed 67 boys, and a 2024 blaze in Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county that left 21 students dead.

The latest dormitory blaze could potentially renew scrutiny over safety standards, enforcement of regulations and whether previous reform proposals have been effectively implemented.