Kenya Red Cross personnel carry a parent of a student at Utumishi Girls Senior School who fainted at Naivasha Sub-county Hospital Funeral Home on May 30, 2026.
Fresh details have revealed that the eight girls linked to the arson attack at Utumishi Girls School in Nakuru that claimed 16 lives were adversely mentioned by their colleagues and other witnesses.
The Nation has learnt that the detectives from the homicide department have gathered strong evidence linking the eight students, who are currently in police custody, to the Thursday dawn inferno at the school dormitory, which shocked the whole country.
A review of CCTV footage also helped investigators to piece together the sequence of events.
The students, who were arrested on Thursday, are being held at the Gilgil Police Station.
A senior detective privy to the investigation, who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to publicly confess, said the suspects are being processed ahead of their appearance before court. The officer noted that the eight were still recording statements as interrogation continues.
“The students are under the custody of the homicide detectives who are still processing them before they can appear before court next week. Some are still recording statements while others are aiding the police with further investigations,” said the officer.
He revealed that the parents of the students have been informed of their whereabouts and the reason for their detention.
“The students are still suspects until proven otherwise; that is why we have allowed their parents to see them as we continue with investigations as required by law,” said the detective.
The fire, which broke out at about 12:45am at the Meline Waithera Block B dormitory, killed 16 students and left 79 injured.
The dormitory, according to the school principal Joycelene Muraguri, housed 200 students from Grade 10, Form Three and Form Four.
Kenya Red Cross personnel support parents overwhelmed by emotions at the Naivasha Sub-county Hospital Funeral Home on May 30, 2026.
The investigators had initially taken in for questioning 30 students on Thursday before they narrowed it down to the eight students.
A police signal from Gilgil Police Station dated May 29 reveals that the eight students who are currently held in police custody are all in Form Three.
Another senior detective privy to the investigations, who also spoke in confidence, revealed to the Nation that the names of the eight were mentioned multiple times by the majority of the witnesses.
Confessions from some of the girls
Analysis of CCTV footage taken from the school also helped the police in identifying the suspects.
The officer noted that the police further received confessions from some of the girls who were involved after they felt haunted by the deadly incident.
“Some of the girls who were among those involved volunteered the information even before they were arrested. They named others who were involved,” added the detective.
The police took in the 30 girls for questioning on Thursday before releasing the rest on Friday.
“The homicide director has personally been interrogating the girls since they were arrested on Thursday. Upon gathering sufficient information, he released the 22 students on Friday and remained with the eight,” revealed the officer.
On Friday, the Cabinet Secretary for the Interior, Mr Kipchumba Murkomen, said that the eight Utumishi Academy students arrested in connection with the dormitory fire would be taken to court.
He added that the students would be detained by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations while the investigation into the incident continues.
A statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations released on Friday indicated that the investigators had conducted interviews with students, teachers and other members of the staff while forensic teams carried out a detailed review of the available CCTV footage.
“Preliminary investigations have identified eight students as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” read the statement in part.
The investigations team comprises Crime Scene Investigators, Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau officers, those from the Forensic Imaging and Acoustics Unit and the Forensic DNA experts.
Investigators seek to establish the origin of the fire, analyse burn patterns, identify potential ignition sources, determine the presence of any other materials and evaluate the integrity of electrical installations at the school, to establish the possibility of any other cause and the sequence of events.
A survivor who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said the fire started in the middle of the dormitory that accommodates Form Three students, Grade 10 and Form 4 students.
She alleged the fire was started by a group of Form Three students who set a mattress on fire, before the sparks quickly spread throughout the dormitory.
"At around 4am, a group of unruly Form Three Students, who were protesting alleged high-handedness of the school administration, set a mattress on fire, causing the fire that spread across the dormitory christened Meline Waithera Block," she said.
On Friday, the Ministry of Education confirmed that preliminary investigations have established that the deadly inferno was an act of arson.
Kenya Red Cross personnel support a parent overwhelmed by emotions at the Naivasha Sub-county Hospital Funeral Home on May 30, 2026.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba also revealed that the school failed to comply with provisions of the School Safety Manual and Basic Education Regulations. Investigators found that the dormitory was congested and that one of the exit doors had been locked, contrary to safety requirements.
CS Ogamba further revealed that two teachers had reportedly been informed of the planned attack but failed to take appropriate action will face disciplinary action.
“TSC has been apprised of these findings and is taking appropriate and immediate disciplinary action against the principal for failing to ensure compliance with the School Safety Manual and the Basic Education Regulations. The teachers who failed to take action despite having been informed of the planned unrest will also be subjected to disciplinary proceedings,” said Ogamba.
The detectives are currently in the process of collecting DNA samples from parents today, which will help in identifying bodies which were burnt beyond recognition.
Additional reporting by Vitalis Kimutai
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