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Kenyan constabulary arrested 8 pistillate students connected suspicion of arson, authorities said connected Friday (May 29, 2026), aft a occurrence destroyed a dormitory astatine a boarding school, sidesplitting 16 children and injuring dozens of others. The motive remains nether investigation.
The girls were arrested for readying and carrying retired a suspected arson onslaught astatine Utumishi Girls School successful cardinal Kenya, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, oregon DCI, a section of the nationalist police.
In summation to the deaths, the blaze connected Thursday greeting (May 28, 2026) near 79 others injured. Police spent the full time questioning 30 students astatine the schoolhouse and asked their parents to caput location without the girls and travel backmost the adjacent morning
“Investigators person conducted extended interviews with students, teaching unit and different witnesses, portion forensic teams transportation retired a elaborate reappraisal of disposable CCTV footage,” DCI spokesperson John Marete said successful a statement.
Education Minister Julius Ogamba said the school's committee of absorption had been dissolved and the main would look disciplinary enactment for failing to comply with the information manual.
“In particular, determination was congestion successful the dormitory and 1 exit doorway was locked, contrary to the prescribed information requirements,” helium said.
Two teachers who were alert of planned unrest that whitethorn person led to the suspected arson volition besides look disciplinary action.
On Friday greeting (May 29, 2026), parents remained successful limbo astatine the schoolhouse with nary wide accusation connected erstwhile the remainder of the students would beryllium released.
“We person not adjacent been told astir the 8 that constabulary person arrested,” a parent, who spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that of fearfulness that her girl could beryllium victimised, told The Associated Press. “We are conscionable present and nary 1 is giving america immoderate information,”
At the Naivasha infirmary morgue, 28 kilometres from the school, anxious parents waited for DNA tests to place their children.
A distraught father, John Muiruri, said they were being fixed conflicting accusation astir the determination of the bodies. “They person conscionable been doing immoderate sideshows, trying to forestall america from knowing the information but the world we person travel to cognize is that we person mislaid our children. We person travel to presumption with reality. What we privation to cognize is wherever are the remains of our daughters,” helium said.
The motive of the arson onslaught wasn't yet known.
“Detectives proceed to grounds statements and analyse each disposable grounds to reconstruct the series of events, found the afloat circumstances of the incidental and find the motive,” Mr. Marete said successful a statement.
The bodies of the 16 students were taken to a authorities infirmary morgue, and were undergoing DNA investigating to ascertain their identities.
Fires astatine schools person agelong been a origin of interest for acquisition officials successful East Africa, wherever classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and there's usually nary firefighting instrumentality successful place.
The fires are sometimes attributed to electrical faults but are besides sometimes caused by students burning down schools due to the fact that of disciplinary issues.
