NAIROBI, Kenya- Eight students charged with the murder of 16 learners who died in a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy have been denied bail and ordered detained at the Kamae Girls Borstal Institution.
The learners will remain at the facility, located within the wider Kamiti correctional complex, as their criminal case proceeds.
The students, who were aged between 15 and 18 when they were charged, are accused of causing the deaths of their schoolmates during a dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
They were charged before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera High Court on July 1, with each facing 16 counts of murder.
All eight pleaded not guilty.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on May 28, 2026, inside a dormitory housing more than 200 students.
Sixteen learners died while 79 others were injured in the blaze. Investigators subsequently arrested the eight students after identifying them as persons of interest in the suspected arson attack.
Prosecutors had opposed their release on bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and concerns surrounding the students’ safety.
The identities of the accused have not been disclosed because they are minors. The proceedings are also being conducted under child-sensitive safeguards.
Kamae Girls Borstal Institution accommodates girls in conflict with the law and provides rehabilitation, education and counselling services. It is Kenya’s only borstal institution specifically established for girls.
The State Department for Correctional Services describes its programmes as focusing on rehabilitation and reformation.
The Utumishi tragedy renewed national concerns over dormitory safety and the recurring fires reported in Kenyan boarding schools.
Following the incident, the government suspended the school’s principal and disbanded its board over alleged failures to enforce safety requirements.
