DCI IDs students suspected in Utumishi Academy fire

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has positively identified the students suspected of setting the fire that resulted in the deaths of 16 students at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County. In an update on the ongoing investigation, the DCI reported a significant breakthrough after conducting detailed forensic analysis of CCTV footage obtained from the school premises. According to the agency, investigators performed an enhanced examination of the footage at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory within the National Police Service Forensics Laboratory, leading to the identification of the students responsible for the arson incident. ‘Following a comprehensive, meticulous forensic analysis of the CCTV footage retrieved from the school combined with enhanced review at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory at DCI National Police Service Forensics Laboratory, we have positively identified the students who initiated the fire,’ the statement read. The DCI further disclosed that analysis conducted in collaboration with teachers allowed investigators to confirm the identities of seven students who took part in the arson before leaving the scene. Of the eight suspects initially arrested, six have been positively identified through the CCTV footage. The seventh identified student had previously been released to her parents and is currently not in custody. ‘Efforts are now underway to locate and apprehend her,’ the DCI stated. Meanwhile, post-mortem examinations on the 16 students who perished in the tragedy have been concluded at the Naivasha Subcounty Referral Hospital Mortuary by a team of pathologists led by Dr Dorothy Njeri. The examinations determined that all 16 students died as a result of severe burns sustained during the fire. The DCI also noted that Kenya Red Cross teams offered psychosocial support to grieving families at the mortuary, where relatives were permitted to view the bodies of their loved ones. ‘DNA reference samples were also collected from the families of the deceased students to facilitate formal identification of the remains, which was required due to the severity of the burns,’ the DCI explained. The fatal dormitory fire occurred at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil on May 28, 2026, and stands as one of the country’s most devastating school fire tragedies in recent years.