Kenyan court charges eight schoolgirls with murder over deadly dormitory fire that killed 16 girls
Eight schoolgirls, accused of causing a dormitory fire that killed 16 fellow students at Utumishi Girls Academy, pleaded not guilty to murder charges before a Kenyan court on Wednesday.
The minors appeared before High Court Judge Diana Kavedza in Kibera, Nairobi, where they denied 16 counts of murder linked to the May 28 fire at the school in Gilgil, located around 118 kilometers (73 miles) northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
At the start of the proceedings, Kavedza emphasized that the children should not be referred to as accused persons.
“Nobody should call them accused persons. We do not have an accused person. These are children, we shall refer to them and address them as minor subjects,” she said.
Reading the charges before the court, Kavedza stated that “the subject minors are charged with murder.”
The accused denied the charges and entered not guilty pleas, after which the court ordered that they remain at the Kabete Juvenile Remand Home until Sept. 22, when the case will be seen again.
The blaze, one of Kenya’s deadliest school disasters in recent years, left 16 students dead and 79 others injured, triggering nationwide debate over safety standards in boarding schools.
Kavedza also ordered the minors to undergo counseling and receive psychosocial support while in custody and barred them from accessing social media during the proceedings.
The court further clarified that accredited journalists would be allowed to cover the case provided the identities of the children remain protected.
“Accredited media representatives may attend and report from all proceedings conducted in open court. Such reporting shall be fair, accurate, and confined to the proceedings, the court rulings, procedural developments, and matters of legitimate public interest,” the court said.
“No report, publication, or broadcast shall directly or indirectly identify any subject minor.”
Investigators allege that the fire was deliberately started inside a dormitory at the school, although the circumstances surrounding the blaze remain the subject of ongoing court proceedings.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions approved the 16 murder charges against the girls following investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The Utumishi Girls tragedy has renewed concerns over recurring school fires in Kenya, where similar incidents over the years have led to deaths, injuries and extensive property damage in boarding institutions.
