Several Students Feared Dead in Early Morning Dormitory Fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru

A fire swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, before dawn on Thursday, leaving an unknown number of students feared dead. Reports from the scene indicate at least 10 students may have perished in the blaze that started around 1am.

The Kenya Red Cross said the incident was officially reported at about 3:30am. First responders from E-Plus ambulance services and psychosocial support teams reached the school to assist survivors, parents, and staff.

Police and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations moved in quickly. Rift Valley Regional Commander Masoud Munyi confirmed officers were deployed immediately and a head count was underway to determine exactly how many students were in the affected building.

Only parents have been allowed inside the school compound during the initial response. Many arrived at the gates after news spread through Gilgil and surrounding areas.

Injured students were taken to St Josephs Hospital in Gilgil for treatment. The full extent of casualties remained unclear as operations continued.

School dormitory fires have raised repeated concerns about safety standards in Kenyan educational institutions. Boarding facilities, often built with basic materials and sometimes housing large numbers of students in single structures, face particular risks when fires start at night.

Kenya's building regulations require fire safety measures in public institutions, including adequate exits, alarms, and extinguishers. Enforcement varies, especially in rapidly expanding private academies.

Utumishi Girls Academy sits along the Nakuru-Nairobi corridor, an area that has seen significant growth in educational infrastructure over the past decade. Many such facilities were constructed during periods of increased demand for boarding secondary education.

The fire comes amid broader discussions on infrastructure resilience in Kenya's education sector. Previous incidents in other counties have prompted calls for regular safety audits of dormitories and classroom blocks.

Authorities have not yet released details on the possible cause of the blaze. Investigations by the DCI will likely examine electrical systems, construction materials, and emergency preparedness at the site.

Parents described scenes of chaos outside the school as they waited for information. Some had travelled from distant areas after receiving urgent calls from teachers or fellow parents.

Kenya Red Cross teams continued providing support on the ground, focusing on trauma care for those who escaped the dormitory. The organisation said more resources could be mobilised depending on the final casualty figures.

This incident highlights the vulnerability of wooden and mixed-material structures common in many older school buildings across the Rift Valley region. Night-time fires are especially dangerous because students are often asleep and disoriented when alarms sound.

Local residents near Gilgil reported seeing smoke and hearing sirens in the early morning hours. The response involved multiple agencies working to secure the area and provide medical evacuation.

As the head count progresses, officials are expected to provide a more precise update on the number of students accounted for. The tragedy has already drawn attention to the need for stricter oversight of fire safety compliance in boarding schools.

Further updates will depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigations and the completion of rescue and recovery efforts at the academy.