School Dormitory Fire Kills 10 Students in Kenya’s Nakuru County

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: At least 10 students were killed and several others injured after a fire swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County overnight, Kenyan police said on Thursday, in one of the country’s latest school fire tragedies.

The blaze broke out at around 1:00 a.m. local time at the girls’ boarding school in Gilgil, northwest of Nairobi, according to Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi.

Emergency teams, firefighters and police officers were deployed to the scene as rescue operations continued and injured students were taken to nearby hospitals, including St. Joseph’s Hospital in Gilgil, local media reported.

Authorities said the cause of the fire had not yet been established, while investigations were underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The tragedy has reignited concerns over safety standards in Kenyan boarding schools, where dormitory fires have repeatedly caused deaths over the years. In 2024, a school fire in neighbouring Nyeri County killed 21 students, prompting nationwide calls for stricter safety inspections and emergency preparedness measures.

Kenyan politicians and education stakeholders have called for renewed scrutiny of school safety systems, urging accountability and reforms to avert similar tragedies.