Utumishi Girls Founder Reveals Story Behind School and Burnt Dormitory Names

Utumishi Girls Academy founder Edward Mbugua has revealed how the school was established and explained the emotional story behind the naming of the dormitory that was destroyed in the tragic fire that claimed the lives of 16 students.

Speaking during a joint requiem mass for the victims at Gilgil Stadium in Nakuru County on Friday, June 12, 2026, Mbugua said many Kenyans discussing the tragedy on social media were unaware of the school’s origins.

The former Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service recounted that the idea of establishing Utumishi Girls was born during a prize-giving ceremony at Utumishi Boys Academy in July 2018.

Utumishi Girls Idea Born From a Parent’s Challenge

According to Mbugua, a parent challenged police officers over the absence of a girls’ school despite the existence of Utumishi Boys.

“One of the parents asked us whether policemen only gave birth to boys and not girls. He wanted to know why we had built a school for boys and forgotten the girls,” Mbugua said.

He explained that Utumishi Boys had initially started as a mixed school in 1993 before a decision was made to separate boys and girls.

Inspired by the parents’ challenge, Mbugua pledged to spearhead the establishment of a girls’ school and immediately donated Ksh 100,000 towards the project.

The fundraising effort initially raised only Ksh 310,000, which was handed over for safekeeping to the principal of Utumishi Boys.

Also Read: Fresh Twist as Court Rules on Nine Students in Deadly Utumishi Fire Case

Determined to make the project a reality, Mbugua said he later mobilised police officers across the country to contribute towards the construction.

He visited all eight police regions personally, encouraging officers to support the initiative. The response improved significantly, paving the way for the construction of the school.

Construction began in September 2018 and was completed by the end of 2019. After inspection and approval by education authorities, the school was registered and admitted its first cohort of 96 students in 2020.

Emotional Story Behind Dormitory Named After Daughter

Mbugua also addressed public questions about the dormitory that was affected by fire, confirming that it had been named after his daughter.

Also Read: CCTV Footage Reveals How Utumishi Girls Fire Was Started and Students’ Movements Afterwards

He revealed that his daughter died in a road accident in Nairobi in June 2021. Following her death, family members, friends, and well-wishers contributed funds towards her funeral.

However, after the burial, some money remained unused. Mbugua said he and his family decided to channel the funds towards a meaningful cause instead.

“I told my family that this money was going to another cause and that we were not going to use it,” he said.

He later donated Ksh 10 million towards the school’s development, with part of the amount coming from the funds that had been contributed following his daughter’s death.

The donation contributed to the construction of the dormitory, which was subsequently named in her honour.

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Utumishi Girls Academy Dormitory caught fire. PHOTO/ The Standard.