Utumishi Suspects Assessed
Kibera Court Orders Mental Assessments for Eight Utumishi Murder Suspects
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Key Points
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The case was transferred from Naivasha to Kibera due to safety concerns and fears that heightened public emotions in Naivasha could compromise the fairness of the trial.
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A ninth student arrested in connection with the May 28 Utumishi fire was released by a Naivasha court after investigators found no evidence linking her to the incident.
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Mental and age assessments for the eight suspects were ordered to be conducted over the weekend to determine if they are fit to stand trial.
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Protection and care files for the suspects were ordered opened and the resulting reports, including assessments by a children's officer, were to be filed within 30 days.
A Nairobi court has ordered eight minors charged with murdering 16 students in the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire to undergo psychiatric evaluation before they can enter a plea. Tuko reported that the Kibera High Court directed the suspects to be taken to Mathare Mental Hospital over the weekend for assessment by a child psychiatrist, with the next court mention set for July 1, 2026.
The May 28 fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil killed 16 students and injured 79 others when flames tore through a dormitory housing roughly 220 girls. Eight students were arrested after investigators reviewed CCTV footage. They now each face 16 counts of murder.
Court Bars Plea Until Mental Fitness Is Confirmed
The eight suspects appeared virtually before Deputy Registrar Barbara Akinyi on June 26 for what was meant to be a plea-taking session. Instead, the court deferred the plea entirely. Signs TV reported that the court must first confirm each suspect is fit to stand trial before proceedings can move forward.
Prosecutors asked for several extra protections. Radio47 reported these included appointing pro bono advocates for the suspects and ordering immediate assessments by children's officers. The court also directed that protection and care files be opened for each suspect, with completed reports due within 30 days. The suspects remain remanded at Kabete Children's Home.
Case Moved from Naivasha After Safety Fears for Suspects
The case did not begin in Nairobi. A Naivasha court handled the first hearings after the May 28 fire. But public anger in the Naivasha area ran so high that officials feared a fair trial was impossible. People Daily reported the case was formally transferred to the Kibera High Court in Nairobi specifically to protect the suspects' safety and right to a fair hearing.
Victims' families protested the transfer, citing the cost of traveling to Nairobi for court dates. A ninth student arrested in connection with the fire was released on June 24. Eagle News Feed reported that investigators found no evidence linking her to the incident.
Children's Act Shapes Every Step of This Trial
Kenya's Children Act 2022 governs how this case is handled at every turn. The law classifies the suspects as children in conflict with the law. It bans life sentences and the death penalty for minors. It also requires private proceedings — which is why media was barred from the June 26 hearing. The mental assessments, care files, and children's officers are all mandated by the same law.
Legal analyst Danstan Omari has warned the trial could take four to eight years. Tuko noted he also raised concerns that CCTV footage captured inside dormitories may have violated students' privacy rights, which could complicate the prosecution's evidence. Lady Justice Diana Kavedza will preside over the case when full hearings begin.
A Pattern of School Fires Puts Kenya's Safety Record on Trial
The Utumishi fire is not an isolated tragedy. Kenya's Red Cross recorded 37 school fires in just the first five months of 2026. Past disasters include a 2001 fire in Machakos that killed 67 students and a 2024 fire in Nyeri that killed 21 boys, which triggered a nationwide safety audit. Utumishi, a police-run school where many students are daughters of officers, now adds to that grim list.
The government has paid KSh 200,000 to each of the 16 bereaved families, totaling KSh 3.2 million in direct aid. The Ministry of Education dissolved the school's board of management and issued a 16-point directive tightening safety rules at all schools. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba confirmed the fire was arson and called for the full force of the law to be applied.
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