Investigators have made significant progress in the investigation into the deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Academy that claimed the lives of 16 students on May 28.
According to homicide detectives handling the case, forensic analysis of CCTV footage led to the arrest of seven students suspected of planning and carrying out the incident.
The footage, obtained , allegedly shows five students entering the dormitory shortly after midnight on the night of the tragedy.
Detectives say the students appeared to move quietly through the dormitory, seemingly checking whether other learners were asleep.
The students were reportedly seen moving between different sections of the dormitory before entering Cube 13. Moments later, they emerged and appeared to be in a hurry. Investigators believe kerosene was used to start the fire.
The footage further shows two students allegedly setting a blurred object on fire before throwing it into one of the cubes. The same action was reportedly repeated in other sections of the dormitory before the students ran downstairs.
Detectives say the entire operation lasted about two minutes, after which the fire spread rapidly through the building.
Some students reportedly woke up immediately and raised the alarm, allowing many of their colleagues to escape as smoke quickly filled the dormitory.
Four days after the tragedy, the extent of the destruction remained evident. The dormitory, which housed more than 250 students, was left badly damaged, with burnt beds, mattresses, suitcases, and charred walls scattered throughout the building.
The CCTV cameras that captured the events were also destroyed, along with bathroom facilities and sanitation areas.
The dormitory has five exits, including two main doors at the front and back, an exit door where reports indicate nine bodies were discovered, and two smaller emergency doors on the ground floor.
Investigators are still trying to establish why the fire mainly affected the upper section of the building while the ground floor remained largely untouched, with beds neatly arranged and students’ belongings still in place.
Outside the dormitory, burnt mattresses, cracked window panes, and empty fire extinguishers painted a grim picture of the efforts made to contain the blaze and save lives.
Police confirmed that six students were initially arrested, while a seventh suspect was later apprehended in Nakuru County after she had been released to her parents.
She was taken to Gilgil, where homicide detectives questioned her as part of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has called on schools across the country to install CCTV cameras to help prevent similar incidents and improve monitoring of student activities.
“We need to ensure that all schools have properly installed CCTV cameras covering critical areas, as well as a central control room for effective monitoring and response”, said CS Murkomen.
Investigations into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the death of innocent students.
