Prosecutors in Kenya have prepared murder charges against students accused of starting a dormitory fire in May that killed 16 girls at the Utumishi Girls School, officials announced Tuesday.
The blaze erupted on May 28, engulfing a dormitory housing 202 students. Witnesses reported that students were forced to flee through a single doorway after the school matron failed to open an emergency exit.
Police subsequently arrested nine suspects, alleging they initiated the fire by igniting a mattress near an exit. These suspects are currently being held for a 21-day investigative period before formal court charges are filed, according to Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The office also highlighted a perceived increase in school fires nationwide and vowed to hold accountable those found responsible. The Kenya Red Cross reported responding to 37 school fire incidents since the beginning of the year.
In June, Kenya's Education Ministry suspended the principal of Utumishi Girls School for non-compliance with fire safety regulations. The ministry also ordered the closure of over 300 schools following a separate fire tragedy in central Kenya that resulted in the deaths of 21 boys.
Fires in Kenyan schools are a significant concern due to crowded living conditions in classrooms and dormitories, and a frequent lack of firefighting equipment. Officials often cite faulty electrical connections as a potential cause for such blazes. Kenya experienced its deadliest school fire in 2001, when 67 students perished in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.