Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has confirmed that 79 learners suffered injuries of varying degrees following the tragic dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls High School that claimed 16 lives.
Speaking during a press briefing on Friday, Ogamba said seven students remain admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital, where they are receiving specialized treatment. The rest have been treated and discharged.
He said the seven critically injured learners were transferred to Nairobi on Thursday for advanced medical care.
“These seven were lifted yesterday, and they are now being treated at Kenyatta National Hospital,” he said.
Ogamba also confirmed that the bodies of the deceased students have been transferred to Naivasha Sub-County Hospital Mortuary for preservation and identification.
“The bodies have been transferred to the Naivasha Sub-County Hospital mortuary for preservation and DNA identification,” he stated.
He urged parents and guardians of the affected students to report to the facility to facilitate the DNA identification process.
The CS further revealed that investigations are ongoing to establish whether there was negligence on the part of officers from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
According to Ogamba, appropriate disciplinary and legal action will be taken against any officers found to have failed in their duties.
Authorities are yet to formally identify all the victims, with the government saying DNA testing is necessary due to the condition of some of the remains following the fire.
Meanwhile, counselling services have been deployed to support survivors, bereaved families and school staff as the school grapples with the aftermath of the tragedy.
Investigators probing the fatal fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, have revealed that the blaze primarily affected the upper floor of a two-storey dormitory.
The ground floor, however, remained largely intact.
According to preliminary findings from the multi-agency team led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the affected structure, identified as the Meline Waithera Dormitory, suffered extensive damage on the first floor.
The dormitory’s upper level is divided into twelve cubicles, which collectively housed 135 double-decker beds, accommodating a large number of students at the time of the incident.
"The dormitory is a two-storey building in which the first floor sustained extensive fire damage, while the ground floor remained largely intact," the findings by the team stated.
Investigators say the high occupancy level and compartmentalised layout of the dormitory are key factors being examined as part of efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events and understand how the fire spread so rapidly.
