By Fridah Mbuvi, June 12, 2026
A joint requiem mass for 15 students who lost their lives in the tragic Utumishi Girls’ Academy dormitory fire is being held today at Gilgil Stadium in Nakuru County, as families, government officials and members of the public gather to pay their final respects to the young learners.
The memorial service began at 9:00 a.m., with authorities planning to conclude the ceremony by midday to allow families to transport the bodies of their daughters for burial arrangements.
Earlier in the morning, fifteen hearses left the Naivasha Funeral Home carrying the remains of the victims to the stadium. After the service, some families are expected to collect the bodies immediately while others will do so at a later date, according to their preferences.
The sixteenth victim, 16-year-old Zuhura Rama, was buried on June 7 in Kwale County.
The government had initially scheduled the joint memorial service for June 17. However, Gilgil Deputy County Commissioner Stanley Mutai said the date was brought forward following appeals and protests from bereaved families seeking an earlier farewell for their children.
The devastating fire broke out at about 12:45 a.m. on May 28 on the second floor of a dormitory housing senior students. Sixteen students died while 79 others sustained injuries.
Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba have since confirmed that the inferno was an act of deliberate arson. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire may have been planned by students seeking to avoid disciplinary action by the school administration.
Nine students from the institution are currently being held at the Nakuru Children’s Remand Home after a court granted investigators 21 days to complete forensic examinations and other inquiries. The matter is scheduled for mention on June 24.
The government has announced support measures for the affected families, including a KSh200,000 contribution to each bereaved household. The State has also waived mortuary charges, undertaken to meet the medical expenses of injured students, and provided transport and coffins to ease the burden on grieving families.
As prayers and hymns filled Gilgil Stadium, mourners remembered the victims as promising young girls whose dreams were cut short in one of the deadliest school tragedies in recent years.
