Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has confirmed that 16 students lost their lives in the dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, providing the most detailed official account yet of a tragedy that has shaken the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, May 28, Murkomen said the fire broke out at approximately 12.45 am in a dormitory on the second floor of the school, at a time when the institution had a total student population of 808.

The fire was brought under control by 3.00 am through the combined efforts of the county security team, the Anti-Stock Theft Unit, the Kenya Defence Forces, and the Nakuru County Fire Brigade.

A total of 79 students were injured and rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the fire. Of those, 71 have since been discharged, while 7 remain admitted in stable condition. One student was picked up directly by a parent.

Identification of the bodies is currently ongoing with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, as investigators also work to establish the cause of the fire.

Students whose parents or guardians have arrived at the school have been released to return home.

A support desk has been established at the school, and the CS urged those seeking information or psychosocial support to reach out through the government hotline number 1199.

A multi-agency crisis response team remains on site, comprising officers from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the County Government of Nakuru, and the Kenya Red Cross.

“I wish to express my deepest condolences to the families affected and wish a quick recovery to those who were injured,” Murkomen said, assuring the public that further updates would be provided as more information becomes available.