28/05/2026
A sombre mood engulfed Utumishi Girls High School following a deadly fire incident that claimed the lives of 16 students and left dozens injured, as authorities continued investigations into the cause of the tragedy.
Speaking after the incident, school administration and government officials said counselling services had already begun for affected students as efforts intensified to account for all learners and identify victims.
“This is a day of sorrow. The incident happened around 1:00 am,” the school principal said.
According to officials, about 808 students were in the school while nearly 200 were in the affected dormitory at the time of the incident.
Authorities confirmed that seven students remain hospitalised while 79 others sustained injuries of varying degrees.
Some bodies had not yet been identified and were taken for formal identification procedures by government pathologist.
Government and county officials said they were working together to establish what happened, adding that it would be premature to speculate on the cause before investigations are completed.
They urge the public to stop speculations and await for the full report to be given and explained to the parents and guardians.
“We are working with government and county government officials to figure out what happened,” CS Interior Murkomen said.
Education officials maintained that safety protocols had been in place at the institution, noting that investigations would determine whether additional factors contributed to the disaster.
The Education Ministry also defended existing school safety measures, saying safety manuals and compliance protocols had been implemented across learning institutions following previous school fire incidents.
Officials acknowledged that social media reports had forced them to release preliminary information earlier than intended, saying they had hoped to first contact parents directly before public communication.
CS Ogamba concluded that mitigation measures are now being reviewed to strengthen safety across schools as investigations continue.
