Fire destroys 2 dormitories at St Joseph Seminary Boys’ School in Nakuru
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, June 1, 2026A fire at St Joseph Seminary Boys’ School in Nakuru County has destroyed two dormitories, leaving significant property damage but no loss of life.
Confirming the incident on their X handle on Sunday, May 31, 2026, the Kenya Red Cross has confirmed that the outbreak of fire that happened earlier was responded to by a multi-agency emergency team, which managed to extinguish it before it engulfed any other structures.
“Earlier today, the Kenya Red Cross, together with multi-agency partners, responded to a fire at St Joseph Seminary Boys School in Nakuru County,” the Kenya Red Cross statement read in part.
The Kenya Red Cross further noted that the emergency response teams that were deployed included the Timsales Company Fire Brigade, the disaster response team of Nakuru County, and Kenya Red Cross first responders who coordinated to put the situation under control.
The Red Cross has also noted that the students’ accommodation facilities and personal belongings were destroyed by the fire, which went out of control in two dormitories with a capacity of 86 students. Flood damage has yet to be assessed in detail.
In the statement, the Kenya Red Cross has said that there were no casualties or fatalities, and students and staff were reported to be safe after the incident.
“The fire was contained by the Timsales Company Fire Brigade, Nakuru County Disaster Response Team, and Kenya Red Cross first responders. Two dormitories (86-bed capacity) were destroyed. No casualties or fatalities were reported,” the Kenya Red Cross statement added.
The Kenya Red Cross applauded the synergy that was demonstrated by the responding agencies, which responded promptly to avert further damage and save lives in the school.
Recent fire outbreaks in schools
The incident happened at a time when there had been a series of school fire outbreaks in schools in recent days.
On May 28, 2026, the tragedy of the death of 16 students and dozens of others injured when a dormitory at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy, in the town of Utumishi, in Nakuru County, went up in flames once again made the issue of school safety and fire outbreaks a prime topic.
In another incident, hours after the Utumishi Girls’ Academy fire, students, parents, and residents of Gacharage Secondary School in Murang’a’s Kandara were in panic. A fire broke out at the school’s dormitory, with emergency response teams from Murang’a County rushing to the school and succeeding in bringing the fire under control, and all the pupils were safely evacuated and accounted for. There were no casualties involved in the incident.
Following the recent fires, there is increasing pressure on education authorities and school administrators to do more to protect schools and improve emergency response systems, and to ensure compliance with fire regulations to avoid further tragedies in learning institutions.