Kenyan police on Friday announced the arrest of eight students over a suspected arson attack at a girls’ boarding school that killed 16 children and left 79 others hospitalised.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy in Kenya’s Nakuru County, located about 120 kilometres north of Nairobi.
According to police, the upper floor of the school’s two-storey dormitory building suffered extensive damage. The structure contained 12 cubicles housing 135 bunk beds.
In a statement, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations said preliminary investigations had identified eight students as persons of interest linked to the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack.
Investigators have since carried out extensive interviews with students and members of staff while reviewing CCTV footage and forensic evidence to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Authorities said the cause of the blaze has not yet been officially confirmed.
The school is affiliated with the National Police Service, and many of the students are children of police officers.
Police confirmed that all 16 bodies had been recovered and moved to the mortuary pending identification.
The incident sparked scenes of grief and panic as distraught parents gathered at the school after news of the fire emerged on Thursday.
By Thursday evening, some parents were still uncertain about the condition and whereabouts of their children.
Kenya has witnessed several deadly school fires over the years, particularly in boarding schools, which remain common in the country due to colonial-era education structures introduced by British missionaries.
Students have previously been accused of deliberately setting school dormitories ablaze in several incidents across the country.
One report indicated that Kenya recorded at least 63 school arson cases in 2018 alone.
In 2001, a dormitory fire in Machakos County killed 67 students after pupils were accused of starting the blaze.
Another deadly incident occurred in 2024 at Hillside Endarasha Academy, where a dormitory fire claimed the lives of 21 boys.
The tragedy prompted government promises to conduct nationwide school safety audits and prosecute institutions failing to comply with safety standards, although it remains unclear how fully the measures were implemented.
Kenya’s education minister said on Thursday that about 350 schools had been shut down since 2024 for failing to meet required safety regulations.
