GILGIL, KENYA — The investigation into the horrific dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy that claimed the lives of 16 students and left 79 others injured has taken a dramatic turn.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Unit have positively identified seven key suspects captured on the school’s surveillance network planning and executing the suspected arson attack. While six students are currently in custody, police have launched an aggressive nationwide manhunt for the seventh student, who was mistakenly released to her parents before forensic analysis of the footage was completed
The Breakthrough CCTV Footage
According to sources close to the investigation, the breakthrough came after digital forensic experts retrieved and successfully restored data from the school’s central security server, which overlooked the affected Meline Waithera Block.
The Star
The footage allegedly shows a group of students moving suspiciously near the main entrance of the two-story dormitory block at around 1:00 AM on Wednesday, just minutes before a massive blaze erupted. Preliminary findings indicate the fire was deliberately lit at the primary exit point, effectively trapping the 220 students sleeping inside and forcing many to jump from upper-floor windows to escape the suffocating smoke.
The DCI moved quickly to recall thirty “persons of interest” for interrogation. Following intense questioning and matching testimonies against the video evidence, detectives narrowed their focus to the seven core suspects.
The Search for the Seventh Suspect
In the chaotic hours directly following the tragedy, the school administration began releasing shaken students to their families. Because the CCTV analysis took nearly 48 hours to fully process, the seventh student had already left the school compound with her parents before her identity as a primary suspect was flagged.
Wikipedia
Undercover teams have been dispatched to her known home address, but local authorities report the family has since gone missing from their residence, prompting the active manhunt.
Systemic Failures and Negligence
The unfolding criminal probe comes amid immense public anger over structural safety failures at the institution. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba revealed that initial inquiries point toward extreme negligence, noting that at least two teachers had been warned by other students of an impending arson plot but failed to take preventive action.
Furthermore, safety inspections revealed that the dormitory’s emergency exit doors were securely locked from the outside when the fire broke out, sealing the fate of the 16 victims who were found huddled near the blocked escape route. The government has officially disbanded the school’s Board of Management, promising severe legal and disciplinary action against all staff members found to have shirked their duty of care.
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