By Mumo Judah, Nakuru County, May 31, 2026
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has confirmed a major breakthrough in the investigation into the deadly arson attack at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School, where 16 students lost their lives in a dormitory fire.
In a detailed forensic update, investigators said advanced analysis conducted by the DCI’s Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory led to the identification of seven students allegedly involved in the deliberate ignition of the Meline Waithera Dormitory.
According to detectives, CCTV footage from the school was reviewed and positively matched six of the originally detained suspects to the scene. The six students remain in police custody as investigations continue, while a seventh identified suspect, who had previously been released into parental custody, is now reported to be at large and is being actively pursued by law enforcement officers.
Authorities further confirmed that the eighth student initially arrested has not been linked to the incident based on the forensic video analysis and has since been eliminated from the list of suspects.
The multi-agency team handling the case said the investigation has now shifted toward building a comprehensive criminal case ahead of court proceedings, with detectives consolidating forensic, digital, and witness evidence for prosecution.
In parallel, post-mortem examinations conducted by a team of pathologists led by Dr Dorothy Njeri at the Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital Mortuary confirmed that all 16 victims died as a result of severe burns and extensive thermal injuries. The findings ruled out earlier public speculation suggesting suffocation as the primary cause of death.
Due to the extent of the burns, forensic experts have also collected DNA samples from the victims’ families to assist in the formal identification of the remains and to ensure accurate documentation for legal and administrative processes.
The investigation has also triggered institutional action at the school level. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba ordered the immediate dissolution of the school’s Board of Management, citing serious safety violations including dormitory congestion and a locked emergency exit that allegedly trapped students during the fire.
Investigators have further revealed that three teachers are facing disciplinary proceedings over allegations that they failed to act on prior warnings regarding potential student unrest, raising questions about administrative preparedness and oversight in the lead-up to the tragedy.
As legal proceedings loom, authorities say the suspects are expected to be arraigned in court once the ongoing consolidation of evidence is complete. The case has drawn national attention and intensified scrutiny of boarding school safety standards, emergency preparedness, and institutional accountability within the education sector.
The DCI has urged the public to avoid speculation as investigations continue, emphasizing that the prosecution process will rely strictly on verified forensic and digital evidence as authorities seek to establish full accountability for one of the country’s deadliest school tragedies in recent years.
