The charges stem from a fire that occurred at Utumishi Girls' Academy on 28/5 in Gilgil town, Nakuru county. The incident resulted in the deaths of 16 female students, aged 15 to 18, and injured 79 others.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced the arrest of eight students from the school on 29/5. All received legal aid and stayed at a childcare facility for the following three weeks.

On 24/6, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Kenya decided to prosecute the eight female students, with each facing 16 counts of murder. A team of psychiatrists deemed the minor defendants fit to stand trial.

At the Kibera High Court on 1/7, the eight female students pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

The fire erupted around 1 h (local time) and engulfed a dormitory block housing approximately 220 students. *Reuters*.

According to the prosecution, the eight female students are accused of jointly causing the deaths of their 16 classmates at the school. Investigations yielded substantial evidence linking each defendant to the planning and execution of unlawful acts that led to the fire.

Prosecutors requested that the defendants be denied bail due to the serious nature of the crime and for their own safety. The prosecution argued that if released at this time, the female students would face significant risks of retaliation, harassment, stigmatization, mob justice, and other forms of harm, given the immense public interest in the case.

To protect the minors' identities, the court ordered the defendants to be referred to only by an anonymous code throughout the proceedings. The court also strictly prohibited the publication of their names, photographs, videos, audio recordings, school information, residential addresses, or any other details that could identify the minors or their immediate family members.

Rows of coffins for the victims of the Utumishi Girls' Academy fire during a memorial service on 12/6. *Reuters*.

The incident at Utumishi Girls' Academy is one of the most devastating fires in Kenya's history. Authorities set up a temporary morgue to hold the bodies and collected DNA samples from some students' parents to identify the victims. At the memorial service on 12/6, some victims' family members collapsed and fainted, and had to be carried out of the hall due to overwhelming grief.

In recent years, boarding school fires have become more frequent in Kenya, as student dissatisfaction with discipline and living conditions has steadily risen. Many of these fires were determined to be deliberate arson by students. Just two years ago, at least 21 people died in a dormitory fire in central Kenya. Kenya's deadliest school fire occurred in 2001, when 67 students died in Machakos county after some students set fire to a dormitory.

A 2024 report by the Ministry of Education assessing school safety standard compliance revealed that most schools "have dormitories with barred windows, only one exit, and doors that open inward, thereby compromising residents' safety." Overcrowding is also common in schools. Following the review, the Ministry of Education announced the immediate closure of 348 schools.

Tue Anh (according to People, ODPP)