Eight students arrested over 'suspected arson attack' at Kenyan girls' school
The fire killed 16 children and injured 79 others at the school.
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NAIROBI: Kenyan police said on Friday (May 29) eight students had been arrested over a suspected arson attack at a girls' school that killed 16 children and injured 79.
The education minister said a preliminary enquiry had found the school had breached safety regulations, its board had been dissolved and disciplinary action was being taken against the school head.
The fire broke early Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy in Kenya's Nakuru County, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Nairobi.
Police said the bodies were discovered in the badly fire-damaged dormitory on the upper floor of the two-storey building, which had 12 cubicles housing 135 bunk beds, according to police.
The dormitory was built to accommodate 270 pupils. It was unclear how many were present at the time of the fire.
"Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack," the director of criminal investigations said in a statement.
Investigators have interviewed students and teachers, and reviewed CCTV footage and forensic evidence to determine the cause of the fire, which has not been immediately disclosed.
The school is linked to the National Police Service and most pupils are the children of officers.
Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba issued a statement saying the school "did not adhere to the safety requirements".
"In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked," he said.
DISTRAUGHT PARENTS
The bodies of the 16 dead have been moved to a mortuary pending identification, police said.
Distraught parents gathered at the school on Thursday and by the evening some were still uncertain about the fate of their children.
There have been many deadly school fires in Kenya, where boarding schools are common as a colonial legacy of missionaries and the British.
Children have been accused of deliberately starting school fires in Kenya in the past. One report found there were 63 arson cases at schools in 2018 alone.
In the case of the Utumishi fire, Ogama said "two teachers were informed of planned unrest by a section of Form Three learners (but) did not take appropriate action before the arson".
He said they would be "subject to disciplinary proceedings".
In addition, he said: "Investigations are ongoing to establish other aspects of negligence on the part of officers from the ministry of education and the Teachers Service Commission.
"Appropriate disciplinary and legal action will be taken against officers found to have been negligent in their duties."
Pupils were accused after a 2001 dormitory fire in the southern county of Machakos killed 67.
A 2024 dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county killed 21 boys, prompting government promises of nationwide action though it remains unclear whether the measures were implemented.
On Thursday, the education minister said the ministry had closed around 350 schools since 2024 for failing to comply with safety standards.
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