A fire broke out at around 1 a.m. on 28 May 2026 in a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy, a police-affiliated girls' boarding school in Gilgil, Nakuru County, Kenya [1, 2, 3]. The blaze swept through a dormitory floor where between 135 bunk beds and about 220 students were sleeping, according to different reports [4, 5].

Sixteen students died in the fire, while 79 others were injured and taken to hospital [4, 1, 6, 7, 2, 8, 9, 3]. Some students escaped by jumping from windows, sustaining injuries including broken legs. Witness Wambui Nderitu said, "Some of those at the top floor had to jump out, that’s why they are injured." [5, 3]

Initial rescue efforts involved 50 police officers, fire brigade, disaster teams, and the Kenya Red Cross [5, 8]. The fire was extinguished after about 45 minutes of firefighting [3]. The dormitory windows were broken and walls showed heavy smoke damage [1, 8, 3].

Authorities have detained 30 students initially identified during investigations and arrested eight suspected of planning and carrying out the suspected arson [4, 6, 10]. Education Minister Julius Ogamba said officials are probing whether the school's fire safety manual had been followed. He stated, "Authorities would investigate whether the school’s fire safety manual had been adhered to." [7, 10, 8, 3]

The cause remains unconfirmed with investigations ongoing [4, 1, 5, 6, 7, 2, 8]. Kenya has a history of school fires linked to student protests against harsh discipline and poor living conditions. A similar fire in 2024 in Nyeri County killed 21 students; that cause is also unresolved [4, 1, 5, 6, 10, 8].

Utumishi Girls Academy serves over 800 students, many children of police officers [7, 2, 3]. Two teachers were reportedly informed of plans for the fire by students but allegedly failed to act [10]. President William Ruto called the tragedy "unimaginable" [2]. Grieving mother Leila Matura said, "We went to the hospital but could not find her. She is missing. Whether she is alive or dead, we do not know. I am desperate." [3]

The investigation and efforts to support the injured remain active. Authorities continue searching for any students unaccounted for since the blaze [5, 8].