Will Utumishi Girls tragedy be the last of fatal school fires?

Bodys of the students who lost their lives during early thursday morning fire at Utumishi girls Acadamy in Gilgil Nakuru county. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Thirty-five years separate the ashes of St Kizito Secondary School from those of Utumishi Girls. 19 girls died from a dormitory fire, a result of arson, in St Kizito in 1991. 16 perished in Utumishi on Thursday.

In between, the Commission of Inquiry established by President Moi after 26 students died in Bombolulu Girls' produced a meticulous report. Since the report, we have had three major fire disasters in schools. In 2002, the Kyanguli Secondary school fire killed 67 students. In 2017, 10 students died at Moi Girls, while in 2024, 21 students died at Hillside Endarasha Academy.