A fire ripped through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, Kenya, early Thursday morning, killing at least 16 students and sending 79 others to hospitals, officials said.
The blaze broke out around 1:00am local time, about 120 kilometers north of Nairobi. Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba confirmed the death toll. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen urged patience as investigators work to determine the cause.
President William Ruto called it an “unimaginable tragedy,” offering prayers to the families. The school is affiliated with the National Police Service, and most students are children of officers.
Kenya has a grim history of school fires. In 2024, 21 boys died in a similar fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy. A 2001 dormitory fire in Machakos killed 67 pupils. The government promised safety audits after the 2024 fire, but it remains unclear if those measures were implemented.