By Brian Said Iha | Gilgil, May 29, 2026
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested eight students from Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in connection with the dormitory fire that claimed 16 lives on Thursday night, 28 May 2026.
The arrests come as forensic teams intensify investigations into the cause of the inferno that engulfed the Meline Waithera dormitory. Specialists are currently analyzing burn patterns, traces of possible accelerants, the condition of electrical systems, and CCTV footage from within the school compound to establish how the tragedy unfolded.
Preliminary accounts from survivors indicate that a group of Form Three students may have deliberately set a mattress ablaze inside the dormitory. Investigators, however, caution that all lines of inquiry remain open as they work to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Survivors further allege that both the main entrance and an emergency exit were locked from the inside at the time of the incident, a factor that may have worsened the situation by trapping students inside the burning structure.
DCI officials have not yet issued a formal statement on the arrests but confirmed that several persons of interest are being interrogated as part of the ongoing probe.
The tragedy has sparked renewed debate on safety standards in boarding schools, emergency preparedness, and dormitory supervision, as families continue to mourn the 16 students who lost their lives.
