Eight Kenyan schoolgirls have pleaded not guilty to murder charges over a dormitory fire that killed 16 fellow students and injured dozens more at a boarding school in the country's Rift Valley region.
The minors appeared before High Court Judge Diana Kavedza in Nairobi on Wednesday in connection with the 28 May blaze at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The fire swept through a dormitory, killing 16 students and injuring 79 others in one of Kenya's deadliest school disasters in recent years.
The girls face 16 counts of murder following investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the subsequent approval of charges by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
At the start of the proceedings, Kavedza emphasised that the defendants should be treated as children throughout the case.
“Nobody should call them accused persons. We do not have an accused person. These are children, we shall refer to them and address them as minor subjects,” she said.
Reading the charges before the court, Kavedza said: “The subject minors are charged with murder”.
All eight denied the charges.
The court ordered the girls to remain at the Kabete Juvenile Remand Home until 22 September, when the case will return to court.
Kavedza also directed that the minors receive counselling and psychosocial support while in custody.
The court further barred the girls from accessing social media during the proceedings and imposed strict reporting restrictions to protect their identities.
While accredited journalists will be permitted to cover the hearings, the court said no report should directly or indirectly identify any of the children.
“Accredited media representatives may attend and report from all proceedings conducted in open court. Such reporting shall be fair, accurate, and confined to the proceedings, the court rulings, procedural developments, and matters of legitimate public interest,” the court said.
“No report, publication, or broadcast shall directly or indirectly identify any subject minor.”
Investigators allege the fire was deliberately started inside a dormitory, although details surrounding the incident remain the subject of ongoing court proceedings.
The tragedy has reignited debate over safety standards in Kenyan boarding schools and recurring incidents of student unrest.
School fires have periodically occurred across Kenya, with previous investigations and studies linking some incidents to student protests over disciplinary measures and living conditions.
In September 2024, a fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County killed 21 children. The country's worst recent school fire occurred in 2001, when 67 boys died at Kyanguli Secondary School outside Nairobi in a blaze authorities attributed to arson.
The Utumishi Girls Academy fire also came amid broader concerns about unrest in Kenya's education system.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba said in May that disturbances linked to the incident had contributed to the temporary closure of at least 204 secondary schools across the country.
Most of those schools, including Utumishi Girls Academy, have since resumed classes.
The case is expected to remain closely watched as authorities seek accountability for one of the country's deadliest school tragedies in recent years, while questions continue over safety and welfare in Kenyan boarding schools.
Nvidia, the world's most valuable chip company, is investigating its own boss, and China says the reasons behind it are false....
A large majority of Americans want the incoming Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress to end the war with Iran an...
Spain’s government has approved a package of rail safety measures after train drivers went on strike on Tuesday to demand more investment in ...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operation, following allegations that a businesswoman with whom he had a relationship passed information to Beijing.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Nvidia, the world's most valuable chip company, is investigating its own boss, and China says the reasons behind it are false.
A large majority of Americans want the incoming Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress to end the war with Iran and repeal President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows, pointing to strong pressure for quick action on the cost of living.
Spain’s government has approved a package of rail safety measures after train drivers went on strike on Tuesday to demand more investment in maintenance, following the country’s second deadly rail crash this year.
Russia has declared a Moldovan diplomat at the country’s embassy in Moscow undesirable, in retaliation for a similar move by Moldova last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday (10 November).
A senior U.S. Army soldier has been arrested in Britain on suspicion of assisting Russian intelligence, British police said on Tuesday (10 November), a day after the United States moved aircraft out of a British air base over an apparent threat from Iran.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment