Fire Kills Students in Kenya School, Police Investigate

Fire at Kenyan Girls’ School Claims Lives

A fire at a girls’ boarding school in Gilgil, Kenya, has left an unknown number of fatalities, according to police. Search teams have been deployed to account for all students.

Radio station Capital FM quoted Samuel Ndanyi, the regional police commander, as stating that at least 10 students were killed.

Another broadcaster, Citizen Television, reported Masoud Mwinyi, a county police official, telling distraught parents outside the school that it is “distressing and saddening.”

The fire broke out early Thursday morning in the boarding school’s accommodation section. The cause has not been determined.

School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, with some caused by arson and others by electrical faults.

Kenya’s deadliest recent school fire occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

In 2024, 21 students burned to death in a school fire in central Kenya. President William Ruto declared three days of mourning.

In 2017, 10 students died in a school fire in the capital Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.