School fires have repeatedly struck learning institutions across the country over the years, leaving behind a trail of death, grief and unanswered questions.
Among the deadliest remains the inferno at Kyanguli Mixed Secondary School on March 26, 2001, in which 67 students died after a dormitory was set ablaze.
The latest tragedy at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has revived memories of past disasters and the pain endured by families and students.
Eight students have so far been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. Police allege evidence pointed to the suspects as being behind the planning and execution of the act. A court appearance is expected next week.
The latest incident comes less than two years after the September 2024 fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri that claimed 21 pupils' lives.
School fires: How to keep our children safe
In many cases where fires were suspected of having been deliberately started, students were arrested and charged. Yet the prosecutions appear to have done little to deter similar incidents.
Following the Kyanguli tragedy, two former students were arraigned on April 9, 2001 and charged with murder.
One of them allegedly confessed to purchasing the petrol used to set the dormitory on fire but denied direct involvement in the arson.
The trial initially proceeded before Judge Robert Mutitu until his resignation in 2003. The case was later taken over by Judge Nicholas Ombija, who declared a mistrial in 2006. The matter subsequently faded from public attention.
The parents of the 67 victims later sued the government, accusing it of negligence in managing, governing, maintaining, controlling and supervising students, thereby contributing to the tragedy.
They presented evidence showing that at the time of the fire, there were no guidelines regulating the construction of school dormitories.
The court heard that despite the scale of the Kyanguli disaster, the government took nearly seven years to publish the first edition of the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya in 2008, which included guidelines for the construction of dormitories.
In his judgment, High Court judge Joseph Sergon ruled that school administrators owed a duty of care to students under their custody.
The court found that school officials failed to prevent the tragedy by not ensuring the institution was equipped with firefighting equipment.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the board of directors and the Attorney General were also held liable.
“The 4th Defendant (The Board of Governors Kyanguli Mixed Secondary School) cannot escape because it is the statutory body established under the Education Act for the management, governance, control and supervision of the school,” said the court.
Justice Sergon awarded the families a total of Sh40.9 million, to be paid jointly by the government, the Teachers Service Commission and the school's board of governors. Each family was awarded Sh650,000 for pain and suffering, loss of life and loss of dependency.
Years later, another school fire shocked the nation.
On September 2, 2017, a fire broke out at around 2 am in Kabarnet Dormitory at Moi Girls High School, Nairobi, killing 10 students.
Investigations led to the arrest of several students, with a Form One girl aged 14 eventually charged with murder.
During the hearing, which was conducted in camera, the court heard that the girl's intention had been to force a transfer from the school rather than harm her fellow students. In February 2022, the girl identified as TWG was jailed for five years for manslaughter
In another case, three students from Masinga Boys High School were last year found guilty of arson over the burning of a dormitory on September 6, 2024.
In August 2015, a fire at Stephjoy Secondary School in Limuru, Kiambu County, killed three students. Three learners were arrested and were expected to face arson charges, but the matter later went quiet.
At Litein Boys High School, eight students were arrested and charged with arson, burglary and malicious damage to property following unrest in September 2025. During the incident, learners went on a rampage, torching classrooms and vandalising offices. The case is still pending before the courts.
Last year, six students at Njia Boys High School were also arrested after a dormitory housing 160 students caught fire.
Officers from the office of government pathologist walk outside the Hillside Endarasha Academy, after a fatal fire killed and injured several pupils, in Kieni, Nyeri County, Kenya, September 7, 2024.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
Meanwhile, the search for answers over the Hillside Endarasha Academy tragedy continues.
Parents of the 21 pupils who died in the September 5, 2024, fire have joined the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Elimu Working Group in suing the school's proprietors, David Kinyua and Mary Wanjeri, as well as the National Education Board, Nyeri Education Board and the Cabinet Secretary for Education.
The petitioners are seeking the publication of the investigation report into the cause of the fire and a comprehensive audit of the school's fire safety preparedness and compliance measures.
As schools continue to grapple with recurring fire incidents, the tragedies have raised persistent questions about student safety, accountability and whether lessons from past disasters have been fully implemented.
