At least 15 students are feared dead following a devastating fire that gutted a dormitory at Utumishi Girls’ Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to a preliminary police report seen by Channel 15 News.
The incident was reported at around 4:30 a.m. by the school’s principal, Ms Joycelene Muraguri, prompting an emergency response from officers attached to Gilgil Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
According to the police signal, officers arrived at the school, located about seven kilometres north of Gilgil town, and found the Meline Waithera Block dormitory engulfed in flames. The dormitory is reported to have housed approximately 220 students drawn from Grade 10, Form Three and Form Four classes.
A multi-agency team comprising firefighters from Naivasha, personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the Administration Police Service Training Unit (ASTU), the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the National Youth Service (NYS) joined efforts to battle the blaze and prevent it from spreading to other buildings.
The preliminary report indicates that about 15 students are feared to have lost their lives in the tragedy, while an unknown number sustained injuries and were rushed to various medical facilities for treatment. The injured were taken to Gilgil Sub-County Hospital and St. Mark’s Hospital, where they were admitted in stable condition.
The fire also caused extensive destruction of property, although the value of the losses had not been established by the time of filing this report.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officers from Nakuru processed and documented the scene as detectives launched investigations into the cause of the inferno.
Police said the cause of the fire remains unknown, with officers from DCI Gilgil leading the investigations. Authorities were expected to provide further updates as rescue efforts and assessments continued.
The incident has sent shockwaves across the country and is likely to reignite concerns over student safety and fire preparedness in boarding schools.
Channel 15 News will continue to follow developments and provide updates as more information becomes available.
