Questions over safety as 16 pupils die in another Kenya school fire

The death of 16 students in a fire on Thursday has once again sparked concerns over the safety of Kenya's boarding schools.

The tragedy, which occured at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, about 120km (77 miles) north-west of capital city Nairobi, follows a string of deadly fires at boarding schools in recent years.

The authorities are still investigating the cause of Thursday's fire but parents of the students, along with Kenyans on social media, have been questioning how prepared boarding schools are for fires and whether dormitories meet the required safety standards.

Roughly 12 hours after the fire, several parents remained at the scene, anxiously waiting for news of their children.

"Don't you understand? I just want to know if she is dead of alive!" one frustrated man told a police officer who was guarding the school building.

In addition to the pupils who died on Thursday, 79 youngsters were injured, although most have already been discharged from hospital. More than 800 children were in the school at the time of the fire.

Many fires reported in boarding schools have been the result of arson, with disgruntled pupils - angry about the discipline and living conditions - accused of being responsible, while others were caused by accident.

Overcrowding in dormitories and the failure to follow safety guidelines, such as keeping exits clear and windows unlocked, have frequently been blamed for the high number of casualties.

"We trusted this school with our children. Right now we don't even know who is alive," one parent, waiting outside Utumishi on Thursday, told the BBC.

Roselyn Rakamba said she felt "traumatised" after a friend alerted her to the fire at the school, where her 14-year-old daughter studies.

Rakamba rushed there, but as she was on her way her daughter got in touch to say she was safe.

"I am happy now, but not really because some of the parents have lost their children and in this school, we are like a family," Rakamba said.

Peter Njoroge / BBC

According to the police, the fire broke out around 01:00 local time (22:00 GMT Wednesday) and engulfed a dormitory block housing about 220 students.

The response teams managed to put out the fire by about 03:00.

On Thursday morning, police commander Masoud Mwinyi said that some students who had fled into nearby areas during the chaos were still being traced.

Wambui Nderitu, whose cousin is a student at the school, said family members coming to the scene were met with confusion and fear.

"When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in hospital."

She said some students were injured after jumping from the upper floor of the dormitory while trying to escape.

"Some of those at the top floor had to jump out, that's why they are injured."

Nderitu said her cousin survived the fire but suffered a broken leg. "I found her… she is fine… but she has a broken leg," she explained.

Reuters

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who was among the officials gathered at the school, sent his condolences to the bereaved families.

"It's a very anxious moment and even as we account for the 16 so far identified as having passed on, I want to ask the people of Kenya that together we stand with the families... in prayer, in support.

"I ask everyone to be patient and avoid speculation," he said.

Kenya's deadliest school fire occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in Machakos county, south-east of the capital, after some students set a dormitory alight.

The ministry of education's assessment of schools compliance to safety standards in 2024 found that most "had dormitories with grills on the windows, single exits and doors that opened inwards hence compromising safety of the occupants".

Congestion was also found to be common in the schools. Following the review, the ministry said it had closed "348 schools with immediate effect".

In November 2021, the ministry of education issued a response to a parliamentary committee which had requested more information on school arson and revealed that there were 126 such cases between January and November 2020.

The Reuters news agency quotes research from 2018 saying that 60 cases of arson were recorded in that year.

Additional reporting by Thomas Mukwana

Getty Images/BBC