The CCTV footage emerging from the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire has reopened painful national conversations about school arson cases and juvenile responsibility, with journalist Denis Onsarigo drawing parallels to past tragedies that have defined Kenya’s education system.
Writing on the incident, Onsarigo warns that students must confront the consequences of violent acts within learning institutions, especially those that lead to loss of life.
“Students must understand that there are consequences when they set other human beings on fire,” he notes, reflecting on years of covering similar tragedies across the country.
He recalls a visit to Naivasha Maximum Prison where he met a man sentenced to death over the May 24, 1999 Nyeri High School arson attack that killed four prefects.
The convict, once a teenager at the time of sentencing, had spent decades behind bars after his case moved through the juvenile justice system before he turned 18 and was committed to life imprisonment.
Onsarigo also revisits the 2001 Kyanguli Secondary School fire tragedy, which claimed 67 students’ lives.
Two 16-year-old suspects were arrested and charged with murder, but the case later collapsed following judicial setbacks, including the resignation of a judge in 2006 and a declared mistrial.
“I took my time with the file, and it was clear that someone had done everything to make sure the two boys escaped justice,” he writes, adding that he later tracked one of them to an office in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
The journalist further reflects on the 1991 St Kizito High School massacre, which he describes as the most disturbing case he has covered. During the attack, boys stormed a girls’ dormitory following a student strike dispute. In the violence that followed, 71 girls were raped and 19 died, many from suffocation.
He notes that while arrests were made, many suspects escaped severe punishment through legal and external interventions. Some later struggled with life, with accounts of alcoholism and psychological breakdowns emerging years later.
“Most of the accused turned mad, others ended up as drunks,” he observes, recalling emotional encounters with survivors who remain deeply affected decades later.
Onsarigo says the unfolding Utumishi case will test the justice system once again, particularly if investigations confirm the involvement of arrested suspects.
“Let’s see how the tragic Utumishi fire tragedy plays out, but if the prosecution proves those arrested are involved, it will be the end of school and freedom,” he states.
He concludes by reflecting on his reporting across Nyeri, St Kizito, Kyanguli, Endarasha, and Bombolulu Girls, describing the experiences as life-altering and warning that no legal process can fully heal the loss suffered in such incidents.