An early‑morning blaze erupted at Utumishi Girls Academy, a boarding school for high‑school students in Gilgil, Kenya, killing several students, police and rescue officials reported on Thursday.
The fire was first reported at approximately 3:30 a.m. Gilgil lies about 75 miles northwest of Nairobi.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Kenyan police confirmed that “a number of students have unfortunately lost their lives.” Several students were injured, and others were evacuated from the campus.
Police‑shared photographs show the second‑floor dormitory with charred walls, shattered windows, and rescue workers escorting girls—still in their pajamas—out of the building.
This deadly incident follows a series of previous school fires that have raised concerns about safety standards in Kenya’s boarding schools.
In 2024, a fire at a primary‑school dormitory claimed the lives of 18 children out of more than 300 occupants. The deadliest school fire in the country occurred in 2001, when a high‑school fire in Machakos killed 67 students, according to a 2016 government‑appointed task‑force report.
A 2020 government audit revealed that many Kenyan schools were inadequately prepared for fire emergencies, lacking functional extinguishers and alarm systems despite a detailed national safety manual published in 2008.
Brian Otieno contributed reporting from Nairobi.
