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Why authorities transferred Utumishi Girls arson case to Nairobi
The nine Utumishi Girls Senior School students suspected of torching their school dormitory killing 16 colleagues before the Naivasha Law Court on June 3, 2026.
Eight students linked to the burning of a dormitory at Utumishi Girls School killing 16 students will be charged in Nairobi after the state successfully petitioned the court to transfer the case from Naivasha.
In his ruling on Wednesday, the Naivasha Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramadhan directed that the girls be charged in Nairobi after the office of the Director of Public Prosecution approved charges against them.
The court further ordered that the ninth girl be handed over to her parents after the State dropped the case against her.
“Though the victims are opposed to the application, the prosecution reserves the right to determine where they want to charge the suspects,” ruled the chief magistrate.
In the application filed by the prosecution to move the girls from Nakuru, State counsel Emmah Bosire told the court that the safety of the girls was at stake should they remain in Nakuru and there was a need to have them detained at Nairobi Children’s Remand home in Kabete.
“There are credible intelligence reports that the respondents face significant risk within the locality where the offence occurred owing to public hostility regarding this case,” she said.
The application was however opposed by the suspects lawyers who maintained that the lower court has no jurisdiction to transfer the matter which according to them lay within the powers of the high court.
Led by Mbugua Macharia, the suspects legal team maintained that the Naivasha High Court was capable of handling the matter adding that transferring it will drag the case.
The court however, agreed with the prosecution and ruled that it has the powers to transfer the criminal matter from one court to another.
The nine minors were arrested on June 28 in the wake of the deadly fire tragedy that broke in the school killing the 16 and left 79 injured.
The police narrowed down on the suspects following confessions and reports from other students and teachers as well as analysis of the CCTV footage which captured the girls moving in the dormitories.
16 counts of murder
They first appeared before court on June 2, where the police successfully applied to detain them for more days to conclude investigations.
The court granted the police 21 days to conclude their probe before deciding whether to charge them or not.
On Tuesday the ODPP approved 16 counts of murder against each of the eight girls after dropping a case against the ninth girl.
According to the state, the police did not find sufficient evidence to link the 9th suspect to the crime.
The eight girls will now be charged on Friday before the High Court in Naivasha.
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