16 students have lost their lives while 79 have been injured following a dormitory fire incident reported at around 12:45am at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County.
According to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos the 79 injured students were taken to hospital for treatment.
Out of the 79, 71 students have been released from hospital with seven still admitted.
The CS said the total population of the school is 815, at the time of the incident 808 girls were present in school with seven being away from school due to various reasons.
Migos noted that the process of accounting for all the students is ongoing through investigators as authorities continue to piece together the events surrounding the incident.
Additionally,identification of the bodies is ongoing with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
“Out of 808 girls, 79 were injured. 71 have been treated and discharged while 7 remain admitted. We have 16 fatalities whose identities will be identified. The process of accounting is taking place,” said CS Ogamba.
He added that emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the scene, with injured students being taken to various hospitals for treatment.
CS Ogamba noted that the cause of the fire is yet to be established.
A support desk has been established at the school, with parents and guardians seeking for information and assistance being urged to call 1199 which is a toll free number.
In his remarks, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen appealed for calm even as he cautioned against speculations following the incident.
“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,” CS Murkomen noted.
Murkomen noted that a multi-agency crisis response team is on site, comprising officers from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the County Government of Nakuru, and the Kenya Red Cross.
The Gender and Children Services CS Hanna Wendot Cheptumo says the State Department for Children Services has activated emergency child protection response mechanisms to support children and families affected by the Utumishi fire tragedy.
“The State Department for Children Services has deployed Children Officers and Child Protection personnel to coordinate immediate interventions, including safeguarding affected children, supporting family tracing and reunification, and ensuring emergency child protection services are provided,”
the CS said.
Also read https://www.kbc.co.ke/several-students-feared-dead-in-utumishi-girls-academy-dormitory-fire/
More to follow….
