Autopsy reveals what killed 16 Utumishi Girls students
Autopsy reveals what killed 16 Utumishi Girls students
All the sixteen students who perished in the Utumishi Girls’ Academy dormitory fire incident died as a result of severe burns, autopsy results have revealed.
In a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Sunday, May 31, detectives confirmed that all the victims died as a result of extensive burns, dismissing earlier reports that some students had died of suffocation.
A team of pathologists from the Naivasha sub-county hospital indicated that the victims succumbed to extensive thermal injuries consistent with a fast-spreading fire inside the dormitory.
“The examinations confirmed that all sixteen students died as a result of severe burns,” DCI stated.
The revelation, however, contradicts preliminary reports that indicated that 10 of the students died as a result of suffocation while only six died of burns, with the report indicating that the six were burned beyond recognition.
The tragic fire occurred on Thursday, May 28, 2026, and has since sparked a national outcry, with authorities launching intensive investigations to establish its cause and identify those responsible.
Detectives also revealed that visual identifications of the victims became difficult, prompting DNA samples to be collected.
“DNA reference samples were also collected from the families of the deceased students to facilitate formal identification of the remains which was necessitated by the extent of the burns,” the statement added.
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Also, the Kenya Red Cross provided psychosocial support to bereaved families who were allowed to view the bodies of their loved ones.
Following the incident, the school was closed indefinitely at the orders of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, with the Ministry further dissolving the school board, and the Teachers Service Commission began investigations against the principal.
Detectives are also actively investigating the matter, with earlier reports indicating that eight students were arrested for allegedly planning and executing the incident.
Actively, DCI is also reviewing CCTV footage that allegedly captured the students piling mattresses in the dormitory before setting them on fire.
However, the police said investigations into the matter are ongoing, and it promises to bring those implicated to book even as it continues to express its condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
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