A parent of one of the students at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has shared details of the moments during the dormitory fire that killed 16 students and left dozens injured.
Speaking on Thursday morning after the incident, the parent claimed that one of the emergency exits in the dormitory remained locked during the fire, making it difficult for some students to escape.
“The dormitory is divided into upper and lower sections, so while he was in the lower section of the dorm, the matron opened one of the emergency doors to allow students to leave during the incident. He gave the learners a signal and immediately left the dormitory, leaving the students inside,” the parent said.
According to the parent, students who were in the upper section of the dormitory were forced to jump to the ground to escape the fire, with several suffering serious injuries.
“Those who were on the upper part of the dorm, some jumped to the ground and sustained serious injuries, and that is why you hear that some are nursing critical injuries and are in the hospital,” the parent added.
The parent also claimed that the dormitory had only one matron and said having two matrons could have helped open both emergency exits at the same time.
“I call on the government to always ensure student dormitories have at least two matrons because this one had only a single matron,” the parent said.
“Because when the matron opened one of the doors, another door remained locked, so if there were two matrons, they could have easily opened the two doors at a go, and we would not have had many deaths.”
The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at the Meline Waithera Block dormitory, which was housing 220 students from Grade 10, Form Three and Form Four classes.
Police confirmed that 16 students died in the incident, while 74 others were taken to hospital with injuries.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok and Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat arrived at the school following the tragedy.
President William Ruto also mourned the students who lost their lives in the fire.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters in the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil,” the President said in a statement.
He said the government’s immediate focus was on rescue efforts, treatment of the injured students and support for affected families as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
