Open letter to parents, students and teachers of Utumishi Girls Academy after fire tragedy

The tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil has left Kenya heartbroken.

Lives full of dreams, laughter and hope were lost in a single night. Parents are grieving daughters they expected to see again during the holidays.

Students are battling trauma after witnessing terrifying scenes inside the dormitory.

Teachers are carrying pain and guilt as they mourn learners they guided every day in class.

At least 16 students lost their lives while dozens of others were injured following the deadly dormitory fire that broke out overnight in Gilgil, Nakuru County.

This is more than just another headline. This is pain that will live in many hearts for years.

To the parents

No parent prepares for this kind of phone call.

Some of you rushed to the school, praying your daughters had escaped safely.

Some searched hospital wards hoping to hear familiar voices.

Some are now sitting in silence, unable to believe the child you kissed goodbye at the beginning of the term is gone forever.

You trusted the school with your children because schools are meant to protect life, nurture dreams and prepare children for the future.

You packed uniforms, books, soap, pocket money and food, believing your daughters were safe.

Today, some of you are carrying the heaviest pain any human being can experience. The pain of losing a child.

To the parents whose daughters died in the fire, words may never be enough.

The empty bed at home, the school bag left untouched, and the silence inside the house will become painful reminders every single day.

To the parents whose daughters survived but are injured, burned or traumatised, your struggle is also enormous.

Some of you are now facing hospital bills, sleepless nights and emotional exhaustion while trying to comfort children who narrowly escaped death.

Please remain strong for them. Some of those girls may never fully forget the screams, smoke and fear they experienced that night.

They will need love, patience and counselling.

To the students

Dear girls, what happened to you should never happen to any child.

Some of you lost your best friends. Some watched classmates trapped in flames.

Some escaped through smoke and darkness, not knowing whether they would survive.

Many of you are hurting silently.

You may struggle to sleep. You may panic whenever you hear alarms or loud noises.

Some of you may keep replaying the terrifying moments in your minds again and again.

Please know that crying does not make you weak. Feeling broken does not make you weak.

You survived something deeply traumatic. Some of you are now lying in hospital beds with injuries and burns, while others are trying to process the emotional wounds left behind.

Healing may take months or even years, but you do not have to carry the pain alone.

Speak to your parents. Speak to counsellors. Speak to your teachers and friends. The country is mourning with you.

To the teachers

Teachers are also hurting deeply tonight.

Many of you treated these students like your own children.

You taught them, guided them, corrected them and celebrated their progress every day.

Now you are mourning young lives that ended too soon.

Some teachers may be blaming themselves, wondering whether more could have been done during those frightening moments

Others are trying to remain strong for the surviving students while silently carrying their own emotional wounds.

Please take care of yourselves too.

Trauma affects teachers as much as students and parents.

The girls returning to school after this tragedy will need reassurance, patience and emotional support.

They will need adults who listen carefully and understand that healing cannot happen overnight.