The investigation into the deadly Utumishi Girls Senior School fire that left 16 students dead has taken a major turn after detectives revealed they have positively identified the students believed to have started the blaze.
In an update issued on Sunday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said forensic experts managed to isolate and enhance CCTV footage recovered from the school, leading to what investigators are calling a significant breakthrough.
According to the DCI, the footage was subjected to detailed analysis at the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory before detectives worked with teachers to identify students captured shortly before the fire broke out.
The investigation team has so far confirmed the identities of seven students allegedly linked to the arson attack.
Six of them are among the eight students who were earlier arrested and are currently in police custody.
However, detectives disclosed that the seventh student had previously been released to her parents before fresh evidence emerged placing her at the centre of the investigation.
Police say efforts are now underway to trace and arrest her.
The revelation comes as postmortem examinations conducted at Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital confirmed that all 16 victims died from severe burns sustained during the inferno.
DNA samples have also been collected from families to help formally identify the remains due to the extent of the burns.
The latest findings are likely to deepen scrutiny on what exactly happened inside the dormitory moments before the tragedy.
Earlier investigations had already pointed to a suspected arson plot, with Education CS Julius Ogamba revealing that some teachers had reportedly been warned of possible unrest before the fire.
Authorities also cited overcrowding and a locked emergency exit among safety concerns under investigation.
The Gilgil tragedy has once again revived painful memories of past school fire disasters in Kenya, including the 2001 Kyanguli Secondary School inferno that claimed 67 lives and the 2017 Moi Girls School fire in Nairobi.
Now, with CCTV evidence, forensic analysis and DNA examinations forming the backbone of the probe, investigators appear to be closing in on what could become one of the country’s most shocking school arson cases in recent years.
