The government has confirmed that 16 students lost their lives following a devastating fire that broke out at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
Addressing the press at Utumishi Girls Academy on Thursday in Gilgil, Nakuru county, Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen revealed that the whole nation is in grief after the fire has consumed a sleeping dormitory.
The CS said that at about 12:45 a. m. the fire started in a dormitory which was located on the second floor of the school. The trainee population of the institution at the time of the incident was 808 students.
According to Murkomen 79 students were injured and transferred to different hospitals for medical attention. 71 of them have been discharged, seven are still admitted and are in stable condition, and one was picked up by their parent.
Firefighters, together with the county security team, the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), and the Nakuru County Fire Brigade, managed to stop the fire by 3:00 a. m.
Further actions are underway to identify the cause of the fire while the Ministry of Health, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) assist with the identification of the bodies.
The government has opened a help desk at the school to give support to families who have been affected. More details and welfare services are also accessible through the national emergency hotline number 1199.
The multi-agency crisis response team that is on site includes members of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the County Government of Nakuru, and the Kenya Red Cross.
Parents and guardians who had arrived at the school were allowed to take their children home as the situation continued to be managed.
CS Murkomen expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured students a speedy recovery, assuring the nation that the government would continue providing updates as investigations progress
This great loss has thrown the country into sorrow as leaders and Kenyans all over the nation have displayed mournfulness and unity together with the affected families.