At Least Ten Girls Killed in Overnight Dormitory Fire at Kenyan Boarding School
Gilgil, 28 May 2026
A dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Kenya has killed at least ten students — the second such deadly school fire in under two years.
Fire Breaks Out in the Early Hours
In the early hours of Thursday, 28 May 2026, a fire tore through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, killing at least ten students [1][3]. The blaze is reported to have ignited at approximately 1:00 am, while students were asleep [3], though the Kenya Red Cross noted the incident was formally reported at around 3:30 am on Thursday morning [1]. The fire spread rapidly through the dormitory building, causing widespread panic within the school compound and trapping students inside [3].
Injured Students Rushed to Hospital
Several students sustained injuries in the fire and were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment [3]. The exact number of those injured had not been established at the time of initial reports [1]. Firefighters, police officers, and rescue personnel were deployed to the scene as emergency teams worked to contain the blaze and evacuate students from the affected dormitory [3]. Worried parents gathered at the school in large numbers following news of the tragedy, amid fears that the death toll could rise further [1].
A Grim Echo of the Endarasha Tragedy
The fire at Utumishi Girls Academy is a devastating reminder of the dormitory fire that struck Hillside Endarasha Academy in Kieni, Nyeri County, which killed 17 pupils [GPT]. That earlier tragedy, which occurred in 2024 [GPT], prompted legal proceedings, including a court order for the reinspection of Hillside Endarasha Academy and a subsequent court ruling allowing the school to reopen its boarding wing for candidates sitting the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment [2]. The recurrence of a deadly dormitory fire at a Kenyan boarding school within such a short period raises urgent and uncomfortable questions about the adequacy of fire safety standards, infrastructure, and emergency preparedness across Kenya’s boarding school system [GPT].
What Happens Next
As of Thursday, 28 May 2026, investigations into the cause of the fire at Utumishi Girls Academy are under way, led by Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi [3]. Authorities have not yet released a full and final account of the number of students killed or injured [1][2]. Families of students enrolled at Utumishi Girls Academy are urged to contact local authorities for information regarding the welfare of their children [1][alert! ‘No official emergency contact number or designated authority contact point was included in the verified sources provided’]. The coming hours and days are expected to bring further clarity on the death toll, the cause of the fire, and the government’s response to this latest school safety disaster.