DCI Probes Arson Suspects After 30 Utumishi Girls Detained Over Deadly Dormitory Fire

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a full-scale homicide probe into suspected arson following the horrific midnight inferno at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, which killed at least 16 students.

Detectives have detained approximately 30 students for questioning amid growing evidence that the fire, which gutted the Meline Waithera dormitory block, may have been intentionally ignited.

The Two-Hour Window: Survivors Recall Lights Out

A critical focus of the investigation revolves around a mysterious two-hour timeline gap between the school’s enforced bedtime and the moment the fire was noticed.

According to harrowing accounts from survivors, institutional routine dictated that the power supply to the dormitory be disconnected every night at exactly 10:10 PM. However, multiple learners reported that screams, thick smoke, and panic did not erupt from the structure until around 12:10 AM. Investigators are trying to determine what occurred within that unmonitored window before the flames rapidly ripped through the two-story building.

Recalled to Campus: Mass Detentions at the Admin Block

As forensics and crime scene investigators gathered physical evidence from the charred remains of the facility, the dragnet for potential suspects expanded significantly.

DCI detectives spent Thursday night camped inside the school’s administration block, conducting intensive interrogation sessions with the detained learners. To prevent the compromise of evidence, several students who had initially been cleared to leave campus with their traumatized parents on Thursday morning were abruptly recalled to the institution as the list of persons of interest grew.

A History of Boarding School Unrest

The shifting of the investigation toward intentional sabotage has struck a sensitive nerve across Kenya, echoing a grim historical pattern of unrest in the country’s public boarding system. In past incidents documented by education ministry task forces, disgruntled learners have resorted to dormitory arson as a radical, destructive form of protest against extreme institutional discipline, poor living conditions, or systemic academic pressure.

With 16 families currently preparing for morgue identification and 74 other students recovering from severe burns and injuries, local leaders are demanding swift legal accountability for anyone found to have orchestrated the tragedy