Thursday, May 28, 2026 - A parent of one of the students at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, has shared harrowing details of the deadly dormitory fire that killed 16 learners and left dozens injured.

Speaking on Thursday morning, the parent alleged that one of the emergency exits remained locked during the blaze, worsening the situation inside the crowded dormitory.

“The dormitory is divided into upper and lower sections… the matron opened one of the emergency doors to allow students to leave.”

“He gave the learners a signal and immediately left the dormitory, leaving the students inside,” the parent said.

Students trapped in the upper section were forced to jump to the ground to escape the flames, with several sustaining critical injuries.

“Those who were on the upper part of the dorm, some jumped to the ground and sustained serious injuries, and that is why you hear that some are nursing critical injuries and are in the hospital,” the parent added.

The parent further blamed the school for assigning only one matron to the dormitory.

“I call on the Government to always ensure student dormitories have at least two matrons… if there were two matrons, they could have easily opened the two doors at a go, and we would not have had many deaths,” they proposed.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at the Meline Waithera Block, housing 220 students from Grade 10, Form Three and Form Four.

Police confirmed 16 deaths and 74 injuries.

The Kenyan DAILY POST