A heavy cloud of grief hangs over Gilgil Stadium as family members, friends, relatives, and national leaders gather for the requiem mass of the 15 students who perished in the tragic Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire on May 28, 2026.
One by one, white coffins carrying the victims’ bodies departed Naivasha Hospital Mortuary earlier Friday morning, marking the painful final journey for the young girls.
Mourners stood in quiet sorrow at the mortuary as the procession began, with the bodies now arriving at Comboni Polytechnic Grounds for the requiem mass.
First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto arrived as the chief guest. She was joined by other leaders who came to console the grieving parents and stand with the community in this moment of collective mourning.
The atmosphere remains deeply somber as hymns and prayers fill the air a final public farewell to 15 bright young souls taken too soon.
The 15 girls whose requiem mass is currently being held at Gilgil will be buried later today.
One of the victims was buried last week according to Islamic customs. All the bodies that were burnt beyond recognition were successfully identified on Saturday through DNA testing.
Already nine students have been arrested and charged in connection with the tragic fire that claimed 16 lives.
According to police investigations, the suspects all minors and students at the same Utumishi Academy are accused of deliberately setting the fire in Meline Waithera dormitory. CCTV footage reportedly shows six of the girls entering the dormitory around 12:10 a.m., pouring paraffin on a mattress near the exit, lighting it with a matchstick, and then leaving the scene.
The fire quickly spread, and a locked emergency exit prevented many students from escaping. The suspects were arrested a day after the tragedy and arraigned in Naivasha Court. They have since been remanded for 21 days at Nakuru Children’s Remand Home as investigations continue.
Police say the alleged motive was discontent among the students. The girls were reportedly protesting changes to the examination calendar and were angry that the school had charged them for a cultural event. There are also reports that the unrest may have been influenced by a strike at a neighbouring boys’ school.
