9 Utumishi Girls fire victims laid to rest in emotional burial ceremonies
By Dan Kauna, June 13, 2026Nine of the 16 students who died in the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory arson have been buried, with grief-stricken families laying their daughters to rest in villages across the country on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
The fire broke out on May 27, 2026, in a dormitory at the Gilgil school in Nakuru County, killing 16 students and injuring 79 others.
Eight students have since been arrested in connection with the attack.
Of the 16 victims, one (Zuhura Rahma) was buried on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Ukunda, Kwale County, in line with Islamic rites.
Jane Kimani was laid to rest in Gilgil on Friday, June 12, 2026, following a requiem mass. That brings the total buried to date to ten, with five more funerals expected in the coming week.
Families gather to say goodbye
Saturday’s burials took place in counties spread across the country. In Ewaso Kedong, Kajiado County, family and friends gathered to bid farewell to Purity Favour Naisula, a Form Four student.
A close friend captured the mood of the moment: “Naisula was a good girl, God-fearing, loving. They have destroyed our future, dreams shattered. Not only one dream but 16 of them.”
In Narok, the family of Sheryl Ondari laid her to rest.
In Kaptilol village, Nandi County, hundreds turned up to bury Sallystine Wambui Melly.
Her aunt, Florence Melly, described a girl who had everything to live for: “Like many young people her age, Sallystine had great dreams and aspirations for her future. She believed in the value of education and worked diligently towards achieving her academic excellence.”
Abigael Chepngeno, 15, was buried in Sabunit village, Kericho County, with family and friends remembering her as a dutiful and hardworking girl.
Nicole Michelle Muiru was laid to rest in Gathiga village, Embu. Cecilia Wanjiku was buried in Gilgil, and Mercy Precious was laid to rest in Bahati, Nakuru County.
At Nicole’s funeral in Embu, school principal Jocelyne Karanja was present. Visibly heartbroken, she said: “It is very painful because I have lost daughters who had a lot of future, daughters who had a lot of focus.”
A parent lost along the way
Beyond the 16 students, the tragedy claimed one more life.
Faith Kosgei, a mother from Mogoon in Nakuru West, died in a road accident while rushing to the school after the fire broke out, when the car she and her husband were travelling in collided head-on with a truck along the Nakuru–Gilgil highway.
Her husband Emmanuel survived but remained hospitalised.
Faith was buried today in Mogoon, Nakuru County. Her daughter, a student at Utumishi Girls Academy, survived the fire.
Five more victims are expected to be buried in the coming week as families continue to come to terms with a loss that has shaken the entire nation.