Police to detain 9 Utumishi Girls students for 21 days
High Court in Naivasha has made the first ruling in the case involving seven students suspected of causing a fire at the Utumishi Girls' Academy in Gilgil.
The High Court in Naivasha has made the first ruling in the case involving seven students suspected of causing a fire at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy in Gilgil.
In a ruling on Wednesday, June 3, Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Lorot ruled that the nine suspects be detained at the Nakuru children’s remand home for 21 days.
This was against the prosecution’s request to detain the minors for 30 days as the investigation into the matter intensified.
The court also set June 24 as the date of mention of the case, where the timeline, progress and further directions will be given.
In his ruling, Lorot noted that the nine students are being investigated for murder and arson attack, which the magistrate termed as serious offences.
The Magistrate said it refused to grant bail, stating that the grounds are serious and the suspects and possible witnesses are known to each other and therefore releasing them on bail might have jeopardised investigations.
The directive to detain the suspects, the court said, was for the safety of the students.
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During the proceedings on Wednesday, the court barred the media from showing live the proceedings, citing that the suspects are minors and their rights must be respected under section 220 of the Children’s Act.
The case stems from a fire incident at Utumishi Girls’ Academy, which led to 16 deaths and several injuries, prompting investigations and the subsequent arrest of the students.
CCTV footage implicated the students after showing them carrying out the plan and starting the fire.
The suspects will be held at the Nakuru Children’s Remand Home pending the next mention, as authorities continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the fire.
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