Photo of Faith Irine, the mother of a Form Four student at Utumishi Girls' Senior Secondary School, who perished in an accident in Kariandusi area near Gilgil as she rushed to check on her daughter following the dormitory inferno.
The news of the fire tragedy at Utumishi Girls' Senior School led to another tragedy on Thursday morning after a parent of one of the students died in a grisly road accident on their way to the school.
The mother of a Form Four student died on the spot while her husband sustained injuries after the car they were travelling in was involved in an accident at Kariandusi area along the Nakuru – Gilgil highway.
Lorry involved the the accident that claimed the life of Faith Irene.
Confirming the accident Gilgil Sub-County Police Commander Wiston Mwakio said the parents were heading to Gilgil before their car collided head-on with another headed in the opposite direction.
Mr Mwakio however, confirmed that the girl had survived the inferno and was well in school.
“The accident happened at around 10.00 am in the morning at Kariandusi. We unfortunately lost one of the parents who died on the spot,” said Mr Mwakio.
The girl’s father was rushed to the Gilgil Sub-County Hospital where he is recuperating. Fire broke out at the institution's Meline Waithera dormitory at around 1245 hours Thursday while the students were sleeping.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen who visited the school alongside his education counterpart Julius Ogamba confirmed that at least 16 students had lost their lives while 79 sustained serious injuries.
The injured were rushed to the nearby St Joseph Hospital in Gilgil before seven among them were airlifted to Kenyatta National hospital and the Kenya Defense Forces War Memorial for specialized treatment.
The body of the girl’s mother was taken to Gilgil Sub-County Mortuary.
Speaking to Nation on phone, Macdonald Kimurgor the girl’s uncle said the parents, upon getting the news of the fire incident embarked on the journey to the school from their home in Nakuru City.
Seven students from Utumishi Girls Senior School were airlifted to Nairobi for further treatment on May 28, 2026.
They were joined by four other people who survived the accident.
Kimurgor said the father, Emanuel Kosgei, and mother Irene Faith were seated in the front while the rest sat in the back seat.
“They were six of them but those seated at the front suffered a high impact. The information I got from one of the police officers who was at the scene told me that the car in which they were driving collided head-on with a truck while trying to overtake,” said Mr Kimurgor.
The vehicle was towed to Gilgil Sub-County Police Station.
The accident has thrown the family into mourning of the mother while hoping for the quick recovery of the father.
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