Kenyan Students Face Murder Charges in School Fire
Prosecutors approved 16 murder counts after investigators linked the blaze to arson, while a judge released one student for lack of evidence.
- On Tuesday, prosecutors in Kenya prepared murder charges against nine students accused of starting a fire at Utumishi Girls School that killed 16 girls in May.
- The May 28 fire trapped 202 students at Utumishi Girls School, who were forced to flee through a single doorway after the matron failed to open an emergency exit, officials reported.
- Police arrested nine suspects, alleging they set a mattress near an exit on fire; the suspects remain in custody for a 21-day investigation, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said.
- Last month, the Education Ministry suspended the principal of Utumishi Girls School for failing to comply with safety regulations, an action revealing persistent enforcement gaps.
- Kenya faces a surge in school fires, with the Kenya Red Cross responding to 37 incidents this year; authorities have closed more than 300 schools after fatal blazes, including a 2001 fire that killed 67 students in Machakos County.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Kenya: Court Frees Ninth Suspect in Utumishi Academy Arson Case Ahead of Friday Plea Taking
A Naivasha court has ordered the release of a ninth suspect linked to the deadly Utumishi Girls Academy fire after investigators found no evidence connecting her to the tragedy, even as eight other students remain in custody awaiting plea-taking on murder charges.
Africa News
Kenya to charge students for murder in deadly dormitory fire
Kenyan prosecutors said Tuesday they will charge a number of students with murder of 16 schoolmates in the burning of a dormitory in late May that shocked the east African country.
Nine students to face murder charges over deadly Utumishi Girls dormitory fire
Nine students are expected to be charged with murder in connection with a deadly fire that swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, Kenya, killing 16 students and injuring 132 others.
A number of girls in Kenya will be charged with the murder of sixteen schoolmates. They are suspected of causing a deadly fire in a dormitory in May.
Associated Press News
Kenyan authorities to charge students with murder in dorm fire that killed 16 girls
Prosecutors in Kenya have prepared murder charges against students accused of starting a deadly dormitory fire in May. The fire killed 16 girls at Utumishi Girls School.
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