Mother Dies in Crash While Rushing to Daughter Injured in Utumishi Girls Fire
A woman died in a road accident on the Nakuru–Gilgil highway while travelling to Utumishi Girls’ Senior School, where her daughter had been injured in a dormitory fire that killed 16 students.
The woman was travelling with her husband when their car collided with another vehicle at Kariandusi on Thursday. She died at the scene, while her husband, who was driving, was injured and taken to hospital. Their daughter, a Form Four student at the school, survived the fire and is receiving treatment for her injuries.
The accident happened hours after a fire swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls’ Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The Ministry of Education said 16 students died and 79 others were injured.
Students who survived the fire described chaotic scenes as they tried to escape the building. Some said they were forced to jump from upper floors after finding doors locked and keys unavailable. Parents who arrived at the school also reported that emergency exits could not be accessed.
Some students alleged that the fire may have been started deliberately. They claimed a group of Form Three students set a mattress alight inside the dormitory. Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are examining the claims, although the official cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
School principal Joycelene Muraguri declined to comment, saying only that investigations were ongoing. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba ordered the closure of the school and directed parents to collect their children.
He said seven critically injured students had been airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment, while many others had since been discharged from hospital. Authorities also established a hotline to help parents confirm the safety of their children and access counselling services.
