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The remains of the girls, who were students at Utumishi Girls
Academy, were placed in white coffins adorned with flowers and
topped with their portraits. The coffins were lined up in front
of their families, schoolmates, community members and local
leaders, who called for justice.
The nine accused girls, who were students at the school, remain
in police custody, with interrogations revealing that the May 28
blaze was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory’s exit
using a matchstick and paraffin. No motive has been revealed so
far.
During the memorial service, hundreds of students from Utumishi
Girls Academy sang a somber hymn declaring that all shall be
well. One of the presiding officials reminisced about being a
victim of Kenya’s deadliest school fire in 2001, when 67 boys
died in a dormitory blaze in Machakos County in eastern Kenya.
Mourners called for accountability and justice as dozens of
schools have closed in recent days because of student unrest.
The Kenya Red Cross said that it had responded to 37 school
fires since the beginning of the year.
School fires are common in Kenya, with some linked to arson
attacks by students protesting disciplinary measures or
scheduled examinations, while others are caused by electrical
faults.
Congested dormitories, a lack of emergency exits and
insufficient firefighting equipment have often contributed to
loss of life and extensive damage.
Last month, Kenya's Education Ministry suspended the principal
of Utumishi Girls Academy for failing to comply with school fire
safety regulations. The ministry also said that it had closed
more than 300 schools following a 2024 fire tragedy that killed
21 boys in central Kenya.
During the Friday memorial service attended by Kenyan first lady
Rachel Ruto, the presiding bishop questioned how much longer
Kenyan children and families would continue to suffer from
school fires.
The school captain, Abigael Wanjiku, eulogized the girls as
“friends, study partners, teammates and companions.”
“The pain of losing them is one that we will carry for a long
time,” she said.
A mother representing the parents broke down in tears during her
speech as she called for accountability and justice, while
reassuring the surviving students that ensuring their safety
remained a priority.
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