Nakuru, Kenya – A second tragedy has deepened the grief surrounding the deadly dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, after a mother rushing to check on her daughter died in a road accident along the Nakuru-Gilgil highway.
The victim, identified as Faith Irine, died on the spot on Thursday morning when the vehicle conveying her family crashed at the Kariandusi area near Gilgil. Her husband survived the accident with injuries and has been hospitalised.
The family was reportedly on their way to the school following news of a devastating overnight fire that had swept through a dormitory at the institution.
The fire, which broke out between 12:45 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on May 28, 2026, claimed at least 16 students’ lives and left around 74 to 79 others injured, several of them critically. Some of the injured students were airlifted to hospitals in Nairobi for specialised treatment.
Survivors of the incident described scenes of panic and confusion, with allegations that some dormitory exits were locked or difficult to open, raising concerns about evacuation procedures. Authorities have since launched investigations into the cause of the fire, with initial suspicions pointing to a possible electrical fault.
The latest accident has intensified public grief, turning an already tragic school disaster into a double loss for affected families. Parents had been rushing to the school amid distress and limited information following the fire outbreak.
Kenyan authorities have expressed condolences and promised thorough investigations into both the dormitory fire and the fatal road crash, as questions grow over school safety standards and emergency preparedness in boarding institutions.
The Utumishi tragedy has triggered nationwide concern, with calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in schools and improved crisis response systems to prevent similar incidents in future.
