A fire at a girls’ dormitory in Kenya on Thursday killed 16 children and left 79 others hospitalized in one of the country’s latest deadly school blazes.
The fire broke out shortly before 1 a.m. local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Nairobi, officials said.
Kenya has seen repeated tragedies involving school fires, with boarding schools widely used, a system rooted in colonial-era missionary and British education models.
"We have 16 fatalities. It’s an unfortunate incident,” Education Minister Julius Migos Ogamba told reporters at the scene, without giving the victims’ ages.
The affected dormitory had shattered windows, blackened walls and a crumpled corrugated iron roof, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist reported.
Parents of victims were being informed by health workers at the site in the afternoon as bodies were identified.
A distraught mother, Leila Matura, 52, said her 18-year-old daughter was still missing.
"We went to the hospital to see if she is there, she is not there. So they are telling us she is not around, she is among the missing,” she told AFP.
"Whether she is dead or alive, we do not know. I’m hopeless,” she added.
Another mother, who asked not to be named, said her 17-year-old daughter was in hospital.
"She broke both her legs jumping from the window. Thank God she is strong. It is every mother’s nightmare,” she said.
The school is linked to the National Police Service, and most pupils are children of officers.
"When we arrived, the fire was still blazing. It was so big. It took about 45 minutes to extinguish the flames because of the mattresses inside,” a firefighter who identified himself only as Fred because he was not authorized to speak to the press told AFP.
‘Unimaginable tragedy’
Authorities said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters,” President William Ruto said on X, calling it an "unimaginable tragedy.”
Children have been accused of deliberately starting school fires in Kenya in the past. One report found 63 arson cases at schools in 2018 alone.
Pupils were accused after a 2001 dormitory fire in the southern county of Machakos killed 67.
A 2024 dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County killed 21 boys, prompting government promises of nationwide school safety audits and prosecutions, though it remains unclear whether the measures were implemented.
On Thursday, the Education Minister said the ministry had closed about 350 schools since 2024 for failing to comply with safety standards.
"We will continue inspections to ensure that our schools meet the safety standards in force,” he said.