Police: CCTV analysis links students to Utumishi Girls dormitory fire that killed 16

Investigators probing the deadly Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School fire in Gilgil have revealed that CCTV analysis has now identified students suspected of setting the dormitory blaze.

This development has sharply intensified scrutiny of the incident that left 16 students dead.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said in an update that forensic examination of CCTV footage from the school, supported by enhanced analysis at its National Police Service Forensics Laboratory, led to the identification of students believed to have been involved in the arson.

“After conducting a thorough and detailed forensic analysis of the CCTV footage recovered from the school, coupled with an enhanced review at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory, an identification of the students who lit the fire has been made,” the agency said in a statement posted on X.

FURTHER UPDATE ON INVESTIGATION INTO FIRE INCIDENT AT UTUMISHI GIRLS SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL pic.twitter.com/Nia5O0qARt

— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 31, 2026

The DCI added that working alongside school administrators and teachers, investigators had identified seven students suspected of participating in the arson.

Of these, six are among eight individuals previously arrested and have now been confirmed through the footage.

It further stated that one of the identified students had earlier been released to her parents and is currently not in custody, with efforts underway to trace and arrest her.

Post-mortem examinations conducted at Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital Mortuary by a team led by Dr Dorothy Njeri confirmed that all 16 victims died from severe burns.

DNA samples have also been collected from bereaved families to aid in the formal identification of the remains, given the extent of the burns.

Psychosocial support was provided to families by the Kenya Red Cross Society during the viewing of bodies.

The devastating fire broke out at around 1:00 am on Thursday, May 28, 2026, ripping through the Meline Waithera dormitory block.

The two-story building was housing approximately 220 students from Grade 10, Form Three, and Form Four when the blaze started near the main entrance and quickly trapped learners inside.

A multi-agency emergency response team, including fire brigades from Naivasha, the Kenya Defence Forces, and the National Youth Service, managed to contain the flames after several hours.

Hours after the tragedy, Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba subsequently announced the dissolution of the school’s board of management, stating that preliminary investigations revealed administrators had been warned of potential student unrest before the tragedy.