Families wait for answers after Gilgil school fire that killed 16 students

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Pain, confusion and heartbreak engulfed families at Utumishi Girls' Academy in Gilgil on Thursday as distraught parents and guardians desperately searched for their children. This was after a deadly dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 16 students and left 79 injured.

Outside the school compound, scenes of anguish unfolded from dawn as parents streamed in from different parts of the country after receiving calls in the dead of night informing them that a fire had broken out at the institution.

As we arrived at the school, we found some seated silently on stones and pavements, staring blankly into space, while others huddled in small groups, conversing in hushed tones as fear and uncertainty gripped the school community.

The atmosphere was heavy with grief.

At the school gate, police officers struggled to control the growing crowd of anxious parents and relatives demanding answers about the whereabouts of their children.

One distressed parent, whose daughter is in Grade 10, broke down while recounting the painful search that had taken him from one hospital to another.

“They have been taking me in rounds. I have asked a police officer who was here to tell me where she is but she is not telling me anything,” he said, his voice trembling.

“I have gone to St Mary’s Hospital and St Joseph’s but I have not found her. They should just tell me if she is still alive or not so that I can know because there is nothing we can do if she is no more.”

Nearby, another parent stood clutching a phone, repeatedly trying to call relatives and friends for updates.

Many parents said they spent hours moving between hospitals in Gilgil searching for their children, while others waited helplessly outside the school hoping their daughters would emerge from the crowd of survivors.

For Leah Serem from Nakuru, the night turned into a nightmare after she received news of the incident shortly after 1am.

She said panic immediately gripped her after learning that her daughter was among students housed in the burnt dormitory.

“I lost sleep immediately. I could not sit in the house after hearing what had happened,” Serem said.

She alongside several other parents, left for the school at around 2am.

“When we arrived, we were so worried because we didn’t know the fate of our children. It was dark and some students were in the field,” she recalled.

According to her, confusion and panic filled the school compound as students who had escaped the blaze wandered around in shock while emergency responders battled the flames.

In the morning, she said security officers addressed parents and urged them to remain patient as authorities tried to account for all students.

“We were taken to a hall and told some students had been taken to hospital while others had escaped at night during the confusion,” she said.

Hours later, at around 9am, Serem finally reunited with her daughter.

“When I saw her, I just cried. I thanked God because at one point I had already imagined the worst,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Not all families were lucky enough to reunite with their loved ones.

Another guardian identified only as Joseph said he had spent the better part of the morning searching for his relative in hospitals and among survivors gathered at the school.

“We have heard that some of them were burnt and are in hospital. We have not been told how many students have passed on,” she said.

“I’m lucky to have found my aunt’s child. She has a broken leg, but she will be fine.”

The injuries suffered by many survivors painted a grim picture of the desperate attempts students made to escape the raging fire.

Several students sustained fractures and deep cuts after jumping from the upper floor of the dormitory as flames spread rapidly through the building.

One of the survivors, who did not want to be named, recounted the terrifying moments when screams erupted inside the dormitory shortly after midnight.

She said students woke each other up as smoke and flames engulfed sections of the building.

“Those who were on the upper floor were jumping, and that is why most of them were hurt,” she said.

The survivor said panic spread quickly as students scrambled towards exits in darkness and confusion.

Reports from parents and students suggested that one of the dormitory doors had been closed during the inferno, making escape difficult for some learners trapped inside.

Authorities have not officially confirmed the claims, but investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) homicide unit and Government Chemist officers were already at the scene collecting evidence as investigations intensified.

The burnt-out shell of the dormitory stood as a haunting reminder of the horror that unfolded overnight.

Outside the burnt structure, mattresses and personal belongings had been reduced to ashes.

Some of the bodies recovered from the scene were reportedly burnt beyond recognition, complicating identification efforts and deepening the anguish of waiting families.

The school, located about 3.4 kilometres from the Nakuru-Naivasha highway, sits in a remote area surrounded by hills.

The institution, which is not far from its sister school, Utumishi Boys', is largely isolated from nearby residential areas, something parents said may have slowed response efforts during the emergency.

It was officially opened in November 2020 by the then Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua.

As investigators combed through the debris, government officials led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and his Education counterpart Julius Ogamba arrived at the school early in the morning to assess the situation and console affected families.

Murkomen described the tragedy as painful and heartbreaking, saying the government stood with affected families during the difficult moment.

“We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the girls we lost in this painful incident and wish a quick recovery to the injured,” he said.

He also urged Kenyans to avoid speculation as investigations into the cause of the fire continued.

Ogamba confirmed that 16 students had died in the incident while 79 others sustained injuries.

He said most of the injured learners had already been treated and discharged from hospital while a few remained admitted.

Ogamba said the fire broke out shortly after midnight in a second-floor dormitory before spreading rapidly through the building.

“It is a sad day today that we woke up with the sad news of a fire incident at this school,” the CS said while addressing journalists at the scene.

He said all students would be released to their parents once authorities completed the process of accounting for every learner in the school.

Outside the institution, ambulances continued ferrying injured students to nearby hospitals as grief-stricken families waited anxiously for updates.

Some parents could be seen breaking down after receiving information from authorities, while others hugged survivors tightly after finally locating them.

For Catherine Torongos, a guardian who travelled all the way from Maralal in Samburu, the journey to Gilgil was filled with fear and uncertainty.

She said she heard news of the fire on the radio at around 7am.

“I was shocked and immediately started planning how to get here,” she said.

“I didn’t even tell anyone anything. I just got out and travelled.”

Her voice trembled as she described the fear of not knowing whether her sister’s child was among the survivors or victims.

The student’s mother, she said, passed away about two weeks ago.

The tragedy has once again reopened painful memories of past deadly school fires in Kenya.

Many Kenyans drew comparisons with the Hillside Endarasha Academy tragedy in Nyeri in 2024, where 21 pupils died after a dormitory caught fire.

Others recalled the 2001 Kyanguli Secondary School inferno that killed 67 boys in one of the country’s deadliest school fire disasters.

Over the years, school fires in Kenya have repeatedly exposed concerns over overcrowded dormitories, locked exits, poor emergency preparedness and inadequate fire safety measures.

Questions were already emerging on Thursday over whether safety protocols at Utumishi Girls' Academy had been properly followed.

Ogamba said investigations would establish whether the school complied with fire safety regulations.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Red Cross and emergency response teams continued offering medical assistance, tracing services and psychological support to affected students and families.

As darkness slowly descended over the hills surrounding the school, many parents still lingered within the compound, unwilling to leave without certainty about their children.

For some, the day ended in tears of relief after reuniting with survivors, but for others, it marked the beginning of unimaginable grief.