16 dead and 73 injured as fire rips through girls school in Kenya
A horror fire that broke out in a girls’ boarding school in Kenya has killed 16 students and hospitalised 73.
The blaze broke out overnight in Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
It started at around 1am local time on Thursday morning while more than 220 students were sleeping but was only reported two hours later, according to the Kenyan Red Cross.
One family member whose cousin is a student at the school told BBC Africa that some students became injured after jumping from the top floor to escape.
Wambui Nderitu said: ‘When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in hospital.
‘Some of those at the top floor had to jump out, that’s why they are injured.’
Ms Nderitu added that her cousin survived the fire but broke her leg.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, had gathered at the school with other officials and gave his condolences to the bereaved families.
A blaze broke out overnight in Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) west of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Pictured: An injured school girl being assisted by family
It started at around 1am local time on Thursday morning while around 220 students were sleeping. Pictured: Bereaved family members waiting outside
‘It’s a very anxious moment and even as we account for the 16 so far identified as having passed on, I want to ask the people of Kenya that together we stand with the families… in prayer, in support.
‘I ask everyone to be patient and avoid speculation,’ he said.
‘It is a distressing and saddening situation,’ county police official Masoud Mwinyi said addressing distraught parents outside the school.
He confirmed investigations are ongoing and the school has been cordoned off, with only parents allowed inside.
Authorities have confirmed that the fire has been contained, but the cause remains unknown.
School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, often caused by arson fuelled by drug abuse and overcrowding, according to a recent education ministry report.
More than 100 children have died in the past two decades from fire-related incidents in Kenyan schools.
A report by the country’s auditor general also revealed that many schools lacked the proper equipment to handle fire outbreaks and were not built with required safety standards.
In 2024 a deadly fire in a private Kenyan boarding school killed at least 21 children aged 10 to 14.
Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history was in 2001, when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos county.
