Grief, fury as families blame state, school over deadly dorm fire

Families in sombre mood following the deadly Gilgil dormitory fire. [Joseph Kipsang, Standard]

Families and relatives of the 16 girls who lost their lives during the Utumishi Girls Academy fire tragedy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, are pointing an accusing finger at the Ministry of Education and the institution for the deaths.

The relatives questioned the decision to lock in the students despite recommendations under the Safety Standard Manual from the Ministry on the safety of students.

This came as the painful process of identifying and collecting DNA samples from the students kicked off at Naivasha sub-county mortuary, where the bodies were transferred from Gilgil.

Emotions ran high among the victims as they tried to come to terms with the incident that left scores of others injured and others deeply traumatised.

According to George Nyakeri, who lost a niece, the government had failed to learn from past fire incidents and was playing to the gallery as families mourned.

An emotional Nyakeri said that students had confessed how they were locked in the dormitory by the school management despite the risks involved.

“My brother, after learning about the death of her last-born daughter, has been admitted to the hospital as he tries to come to terms with the incident,” he said.

He wondered why the school had failed to implement the recommendations from the Safety Standard Manual after the past fire incidents.

“The government officers are now busy running up and down after we have lost our children before returning to their businesses as we suffer,” he said.

Another parent, Rose Wambura, told of the trauma among the girls who were rescued, adding that there was a need for counselling.

Wambura said that her daughter, who was among the survivors, had been admitted to the hospital due to chest infections and hallucinations.

“My daughter was okay on the way home but started hallucinating and we had to take her to the hospital, where she and another girl have been admitted,” she said.

Speaking in Naivasha, she told how the girls managed to bring down one of the dormitory doors before fleeing to safety as their colleagues collapsed due to the intensity of the fire.

On his part, Steve Maina, Red Cross coordinator in Naivasha, confirmed that the 16 bodies had been transferred to the Naivasha sub-county hospital mortuary, awaiting identification.

He added that they had opened a tracking and counselling desk in the hospital and were reaching out to survivors of the fire incident.

“The process of identifying the bodies and collecting DNA samples is underway and we are offering the affected families counselling support during these hard times,” he said.