Kenyan Court Gives Police 21 Days to Investigate Nine Girls in School Fire That Killed 16, Rejects 30-Day Request

A court in Naivasha granted Kenyan detectives 21 days to hold nine students suspected of planning and executing an arson attack at Utumishi Girls School that killed 16 children. The ruling came on Wednesday after the girls had already spent six days in police custody.

The court ordered the students remanded at a children’s home while investigators complete their inquiries and decide whether to file charges.

The fire occurred on May 28 and ripped through the dormitory that houses 202 students. Investigators said the school matron failed to open an emergency door, forcing all students to exit through a single doorway. Interrogations revealed the fire was started by lighting a mattress at the dormitory’s exit using a matchstick and paraffin.

Police arrested the nine girls after questioning students and reviewing CCTV footage that investigators say shows some students setting a fire inside the dormitory. Hezron Mogire, the lawyer representing the nine girls, told the court there were “no compelling reasons” to detain the girls for 30 days, as requested by investigators. “Nonetheless, the court has taken a different view.

We have already briefed our clients, and they are well informed,” he said. Mbogo Macharia, the lawyer representing the families of the 16 girls who died, called for a thorough investigation within the 21-day period. “During that time, it is expected by the courts, by the nation, and also by us as the victims that the investigations will have concluded, we will have gotten the answers that we very much want to hear, and we will have found a way forward in respect to finding justice for the victims,” he said.

The results of DNA tests to determine the identities of some of the bodies that were charred beyond recognition are expected later Wednesday. No motive has been revealed so far.