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| Kipchumba Murkomen |
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that CCTV footage from Utumishi Girls' Academy clearly shows students entering a dormitory and intentionally starting a fire that killed 16 girls and injured 79 others.
The fire broke out at approximately 12:10 a.m. on May 28, 2026, at the Gilgil National Boarding School in Nakuru County. According to investigators and footage reviewed by authorities, a group of students (reportedly between five and eight) entered the dormitory while most of the girls were asleep. Some allegedly poured paraffin and used matchboxes to set fire to mattresses, especially near exits, before fleeing the scene.
Murkomen, who personally reviewed the surveillance video, described the act as "the most demonic thing I have ever seen," and noted that she had trouble sleeping afterward. She emphasized that the students appeared to be aware that their classmates were asleep inside. Eight students, all third-year girls, have been arrested on suspicion of planning and carrying out the alleged arson, based on analysis of security camera footage, forensic evidence, and interrogations. They remain in police custody and are expected to be formally charged soon.
Preliminary findings also point to serious safety deficiencies at the school, including severe overcrowding (the dormitory was licensed for fewer students but housed more), blocked exits, a lack of fire alarms, and hallways blocked with bunk beds.
The tragedy has sparked national outrage and reignited scrutiny of safety standards at Kenyan boarding schools. Murkomen has ordered all schools to install security cameras to improve surveillance and prevent future incidents.
The investigation is ongoing.