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At least 16 people were killed, and 73 others hospitalised after a fire gutted a girls’ school dormitory in Kenya on Thursday, according to a police source.
The fire reportedly broke out around 1:00 a.m. local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, about 120 kilometres north of Nairobi.
Local authorities in a statement said the affected dormitory housed about 220 girls at the time of the incident, although it was not immediately confirmed whether all the casualties were students.
A spokesperson for the Kenyan Red Cross confirmed to AFP that emergency responders, ambulance teams and support personnel had been deployed to the scene but did not provide casualty figures.
The school is affiliated with the National Police Service and is located in an area containing several military and training facilities.
Local media reported that distraught parents gathered outside the school premises while security officials restricted access to the area.
Kenya has recorded several deadly school fires over the years, particularly in boarding schools, which remain common in the country.
In 2024, a dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County killed 21 boys.
Previous investigations into school fires in Kenya have linked some incidents to deliberate arson by students.
A report released by Kenya’s National Crime Research Centre in 2017 attributed many of the incidents to exam pressure, long school terms and communication among students through smuggled mobile phones, which allegedly encouraged copycat acts.
Following the deadly 2024 school fire, the Kenyan government promised to conduct safety audits in schools nationwide and prosecute violators of safety regulations.
