16 Students Killed in Kenya School Dormitory Fire

16 Students Killed in Kenya School Dormitory FireAt least 16 students have died after a fire swept through a dormitory at a girls’ secondary school in Kenya’s Rift Valley overnight, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The blaze broke out shortly after midnight at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, western-central Kenya, and burned for more than two hours, according to Julius Migos.

The minister said 79 other students were injured in the incident, although 71 had already been discharged from hospital. The affected students are aged between 15 and 18 years.

Authorities said investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing. Speaking at the school, Kipchumba Murkomen urged the public to avoid speculation as inquiries continue.

However, a first responder who spoke anonymously claimed several survivors reported that a student may have started the fire by setting a mattress ablaze with a match. The motive behind the alleged act remains unclear.

The responder also said doors on the second floor, where the fire reportedly began, were initially locked, forcing some students to jump through windows while trying to escape.

School fires remain a recurring problem in Kenya, with government records showing more than 100 incidents reported in 2024 alone. Researchers say many of the fires are linked to student protests over strict discipline and poor living conditions.

A parent, Eunice Mureithi, whose daughter survived the incident, told local television that the fire spread rapidly through part of the dormitory structure, trapping some students while others managed to flee.

The tragedy comes nearly two years after another deadly school fire in Nyeri County killed 21 pupils at a primary boarding school. The cause of that blaze was never fully established.

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 at Kyanguli Secondary School near Nairobi, where 67 boys died in a fire authorities later blamed on arson.