Kenya: Dormitory fire in Kenya leaves 16 schoolgirls dead, 79 injured.

SHOTLIST: NAKURU, KENYA (MAY 28, 2026) 1. OFFICIALS WALKING TO ARRIVE BURNED SCHOOL 2. VARIOUS OF GIRLS, FAMILIES WAITING AT SCHOOL YARD 3. TWO CARS ENTERING TO SCHOOL 4. HELICOPTER FLYING OVER SKY 5. CROWD OF PEOPLE GATHERING AT SCHOOL YARD 6. WOMAN SPEAKING ON PHONE 7. AMBULANCE ARRIVING AT SCHOOL AREA 8. INCIDENT AREA SURROUNDED BY YELLOW LINES (TWO SHOTS) 9. DAMAGE ON SCHOOL BUILDING AFTER FIRE EXTINGUISHED 10. INJURED SCHOOLGIRL WAITING WITH BANDAGE ON HER LEG 11. OFFICIALS SPEAKING IN FRONT OF SCHOOL 12. SCHOOL ENTRANCE CLOSE / SECURITY STAFF WAITING IN FRONT OF SCHOOL ENTRANCENAKURU, KENYA - MAY 28: At least 16 schoolgirls were killed and 79 others injured after a devastating overnight fire swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru, central Kenya, authorities said Thursday. Education officials said investigations into the dormitory blaze were still ongoing as authorities worked to verify the identities of victims. “Out of 808 girls, 79 were injured. 71 have been treated and discharged, while 7 remain admitted (in hospitals). "We have 16 fatalities whose identities will be identified,” Education Minister Julius Ogamba said. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen urged the public to avoid speculation over the cause of the fire until investigators complete their findings, saying school safety procedures would form part of the inquiry. “Let’s not be speculative at this stage. We have a safety school manual that all schools adhere to. Let’s wait and see if the manual was adhered to after the investigation,” Murkomen said. Nakuru is located about 160 kilometers (99 miles) northwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and is one of Kenya’s largest urban centers in the Rift Valley region. Authorities had not immediately established the cause of the fire, which erupted late Wednesday night and rapidly engulfed part of the dormitory while students were asleep. Kenya has witnessed several major school fire disasters over the past two decades. In 2024, at least 21 boys were killed in a dormitory fire at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County. In 2017, 10 students died after a blaze at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi, while the country’s deadliest school fire occurred in 2001 at Kyanguli Secondary School in Machakos County, where 67 students were killed in a dormitory arson attack.