Overview
- The dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy, which tore through an upper-floor dorm on May 28, killed 16 pupils and injured dozens of other students.
- On July 1 the eight pupils were formally charged with 16 counts of murder at Nairobi's Kibera Law Courts and entered not guilty pleas before Justice Diana Kaveta.
- Police say interviews with students and staff plus a forensic review of CCTV footage identified the eight as persons of interest in the suspected arson.
- The tragedy exposed safety failings at the school, with reports of an overcrowded dorm with about 135 bunk beds and at least one locked exit, and officials have suspended the principal and launched nationwide inspections.
- Authorities moved the case from Naivasha to Nairobi because of concerns about the accused students' security and public hostility, and the next steps to watch are forensic results and further court proceedings that will shape both the criminal case and school-safety reforms.