Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that reviewing CCTV footage linked to the deadly Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School fire left him deeply disturbed, saying the incident underscored the importance of character and responsibility among students.
Speaking on Saturday, May 31, during the Kipsigis Girls High School Thanksgiving Service and Prize-Giving Ceremony in Ainamoi, Kericho County, Murkomen said the footage showed students allegedly involved in starting the fire despite being among the country’s brightest learners.
“I was reviewing the CCTV footage of Utumishi Academy, and I felt very sad. I even struggled to sleep because we could see the kids who were coming to light the fire, very brilliant kids, some who have got the best because it’s a national school,” Murkomen said.
“But for them to just get paraffin and a matchbox and burn the dormitory, really, consciously seeing their colleagues sleeping there and walk out and leave them to die, that’s the most demonic thing I saw myself and I have seen.”
The CS said the tragedy demonstrates that academic excellence alone is not enough, urging students to embrace good values and discipline.
“As children and as students, as teenagers, you need to know that it is not enough to be brilliant. It is important to have the right character, the right attitude of learning, and the necessary skills that you need to navigate life,” he said.
Murkomen also called on students to report any information about planned wrongdoing, saying silence can have devastating consequences.
“It is very sad, especially for those who lost their 16 children, that somebody somewhere did not do anything about the impending burning of the dormitory and they had information, and then 16 of their colleagues died. How will you feel?” he posed.
“That is why I want to encourage these girls, if you hear one, two or three of you want to do something wrong, please don’t keep quiet. You will live with regret the rest of your life that, ‘I wish I shared this information because I would have saved a life.’ Let us be our own sisters’ keeper. Let’s be careful in the things we do together.”
His remarks came hours after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI) announced that seven students had been identified through forensic analysis of CCTV footage as suspects believed to have been involved in starting the fire. According to investigators, six of the students were already in custody, while efforts were underway to trace a seventh suspect.
Post-mortem examinations confirmed that all 16 victims died from severe burn injuries, with DCI saying investigations into the cause and circumstances surrounding the tragedy remain ongoing.
