How Eight (8) Form 3 Girls Torched Their Peers in a Dormitory at Utumishi Girls.

It is around 1:00 AM, and at such an hour Utumishi Girls is usually very quiet, apart from the occasional sounds of nocturnal creatures.

Most students are deeply asleep, preparing for another early school morning of showering, breakfast, and morning preps before classes begin.

One of the main dormitories in the school is Meline Waithera Dormitory, which houses more than 200 girls.

What the students do not know is that this would not be an ordinary night.

Reports indicate that eight Form Three students allegedly planned to set the dormitory on fire. It is also claimed that before that night, the administration and some teachers had information that a group of students had raised serious grievances and were planning a strike.

Although the exact cause of the alleged unrest has not been officially confirmed, school strikes are often linked to issues such as harsh discipline, punishment methods, poor quality or insufficient food, pressure from examinations, school rules students feel are too strict, and disagreements over school management decisions.

While other students were asleep, the group allegedly set a mattress on fire using a matchstick. Within moments, the fire spread rapidly, fueled by bedding materials and other flammable dormitory contents, and engulfed the entire structure.

Chaos followed immediately. Students were woken up by thick smoke and flames filling the dormitory. Many struggled to find their way out as visibility dropped and panic set in.

As they rushed toward the exits, they reportedly found the doors locked with padlocks. The matron is said to have been overwhelmed by the situation and was unable to locate the keys in time. Reports further indicate that the emergency exit door had been locked from the outside, leaving many students trapped inside.

The dormitory had three exit doors. Even after the first two were eventually opened, the third reportedly took longer to unlock, further delaying evacuation as the fire continued to spread.

By this time, the fire had already caused extensive damage.

Sixteen students are reported to have lost their lives in the incident, with others injured and rushed to hospital.

Authorities are expected to examine possible contributing factors, including overcrowding in the dormitory, emergency preparedness gaps, delayed response, and whether prior warnings of unrest were properly acted upon.

Investigations into the exact cause and sequence of events are ongoing.