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Utumishi girls charged with murder to enter pleas today
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.
The eight students from Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, who were charged with the murder of their 16 schoolmates on May 28, 2026, are expected to enter their pleas today.
This was deferred last Friday, June 26, 2026.
The students, who are detained at the Kabete Juvenile Remand Home, will appear before the Kibera High Court to enter their pleas.
On June 26, Kibera High Court Judge Diana Kavedza ordered the eight minors to undergo mental health examinations to determine their fitness to stand trial for the gruesome and heinous murder of the sixteen students who perished in a dormitory fire.
The trial judge informed the former students of Utumishi Girls Academy that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, had authorised they be tried for the murder of 16 of their schoolmates, based on evidence gathered by homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The judge informed the students that they could not be required to plead to the 16 counts of murder before undergoing a mental health assessment.
Students arrested on suspicion of arson over a fire at Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in Gilgil that killed 16 students and injured 79 others, arrive at the Naivasha Law Courts on June 2, 2026.
She also informed them that if they were convicted, they would face either the death penalty or life imprisonment. She added that due to the severity of the penalty, the Constitution requires them to have legal representation.
The judge also told the suspects that they needed to be examined by a psychiatrist before they could be called upon to plead. She also called for an age assessment by a doctor.
The suspects, who are being held at the Kabete Juvenile Remand Home, were transferred from Naivasha to Nairobi eight days ago for safety reasons.
During Friday's court session, the prosecutor informed the judge that the purpose of the session was to inform the suspects of the charges against them. They are not required to plead at this stage as they have not yet undergone a mental health assessment to determine their fitness to stand trial.
The judge ruled that the suspects must be accompanied by their parents, guardians or lawyers when they appear in court today, when the charges will be read to them.
"This case is adjourned to July 1, 2026, when the suspects will appear in open court to enter their pleas for the murder of 16 girls,"Justice Kavedza ordered on June 26.
"You will remain in Kabete Juvenile custody until this case is heard and determined," the judge directed.
16 students died in a dormitory fire, in which 79 others were injured.
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