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

CCTV footage has revealed how a group of students allegedly started the deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School that claimed the lives of 16 learners on May 28, 2026.

Investigators say the footage played a key role in identifying seven students believed to have participated in the arson attack.

The suspects are currently at the center of an ongoing investigation led by the DCI.

According to investigators, the footage shows five students entering the dormitory at around 12:10 a.m., just minutes before the fire broke out.

The students were seen moving quietly through the dormitory and checking several sleeping areas, seemingly confirming that their fellow learners were asleep.

The footage shows them inspecting Cube 11 before moving to Cube 13. Moments later, they emerged, appearing to be in a hurry after allegedly using kerosene to start the fire.

Utumishi Fire Spread Within Minutes

Investigators say two students were captured setting a blurred object on fire at Cube 11 before throwing it inside.

They then moved to another cube and repeated the same action.

The students allegedly lit fires in several sections of the dormitory before running downstairs. The entire operation is believed to have taken about two minutes.

The fire spread rapidly through the dormitory, forcing some students to wake up and alert their classmates.

Many learners rushed out in an attempt to escape as thick smoke quickly filled the building.

Also Read: CCTV Footage Reveals Students Behind Utumishi Fire That Killed 16

DCI Identifies Seven Suspects

In a statement, the DCI said investigators made a breakthrough after conducting a detailed forensic examination of CCTV footage recovered from the school.

The agency said forensic experts at the National Police Service Forensics Laboratory enhanced and analyzed the footage, enabling investigators to identify the students allegedly involved.

“Further analysis of the CCTV footage, conducted in collaboration with the teachers, has enabled the investigation team to confirm the identity of seven students who participated in the arson before escaping the scene,” said DCI in a statement.

The DCI added that six of the students are already in custody.

“Of the eight suspects previously arrested, six have been positively identified and confirmed through the footage. The seventh identified student was among those earlier released to their parents and is currently not in custody. Efforts are now underway to trace and arrest her,” the DCI statement added.

Also Read: CS Ogamba Dissolves Utumishi Girls Board, Orders Action Against Principal

Murkomen Says Footage Left Him Disturbed

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said he was deeply disturbed after reviewing the CCTV footage.

Speaking during a Thanksgiving ceremony at Kipsigis Girls’ High School in Kericho County on May 31, Murkomen described the incident as one of the most disturbing things he had ever witnessed.

“I was reviewing the CCTV footage of Utumishi Academy, and I felt very sad. I even struggled to sleep because we could see the kids who were coming to light the fire,” he said.

“It’s very brilliant kids. Some got the best because that’s a national school. But for them to just get paraffin and a matchbox and burn a dormitory, consciously seeing their colleagues sleeping there and walk out and leave them to die, that is the most demonic thing I saw myself,”he added.

Murkomen urged students to focus not only on academic success but also on character and discipline.

“You need to know that it is not enough to be brilliant. It is important to have the right character, the right attitude of learning, and the necessary skills that you need to navigate life,” he said.

Call for Improved Dormitory Safety

Murkomen also called on school administrators and boards of management to improve safety standards in boarding schools.

“You must take proactive steps as principals and boards of management to ensure that our dormitories are not congested and that they have proper emergency exits,” he said.

The investigation into the tragedy remains ongoing as authorities continue gathering information.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for instant news updates

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