Gilgil: At least 16 students were killed and dozens injured after a fire tore through a dormitory at a girls’ boarding school in central Kenya on Thursday, prompting an investigation into the cause of the blaze and renewed concerns over school safety standards in the country.

The fire broke out at Utumishi Girls School in Gilgil, around 120 kilometres north-west of the capital Nairobi. Education Minister Julius Ogamba said 79 students had been injured in the incident, while police launched inquiries into whether negligence or foul play may have contributed to the tragedy.

Authorities said detectives were questioning surviving students as part of the investigation. Officials are also examining whether the school complied with required fire safety procedures.

The identities of the victims had not yet been officially confirmed, leading to anger and frustration among parents gathered outside the destroyed dormitory. Some confronted police officers guarding the site, demanding access to the remains of victims that had not yet been removed.

Bernard Omwandho, a representative of the parents’ association, appealed for calm as investigations continued.

“Most of the parents who are still here are those whose daughters are being questioned,” he said, expressing hope that survivors would help establish what happened before the fire broke out.

Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 students, is a government-run secondary school sponsored by the Kenya Police Service. Many of the pupils are daughters of police officers.

Elizabeth Rioba, whose two daughters study at the school, said one of her children witnessed a fellow student become trapped while attempting to escape through a window.

“She’s very traumatised, but I’m relieved she’s OK and I’m sad for all these children who have died,” Rioba told reporters.

The Kenya Red Cross said several students had been evacuated to hospitals for treatment and that psychological support teams had been deployed to assist survivors and families.

Kenyan President William Ruto expressed condolences to the victims’ families, describing the incident as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

“No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives filled with promise, hope and dreams for the future,” Ruto said in a statement.

School fires have remained a recurring concern in East Africa, where overcrowded dormitories and poor fire safety infrastructure have often been blamed for deadly incidents.

In 2024, 21 students died in a school fire in central Kenya, prompting President Ruto to declare three days of national mourning.

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001, when 67 students were killed in a dormitory blaze in Machakos County. In 2017, 10 students died in another school fire in Nairobi, after which a student was charged with murder.