The Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has listed out a hotline number that parents and victims of the Utumishi Girls fire tragedy can use for reporting and counselling services.

In a statement by the Ministry of Education on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the Education CS urged parents to use the hotline number and keep the Ministry in tabs with the situation of the victims released earlier after the tragedy.

According to the Ministry, the hotline number parents are urged to use is 1199.

“There is a hotline number 1199 to which we’ll be asking the parents to keep reporting, especially the ones who left with kids when they came earlier,” Ogamba said.

Utumishi tragedy

At the same time, the Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has urged caution and patience as investigations continue into the fire that killed 16 students at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, saying the cause is not yet known and should not be discussed through speculation.

Speaking during a briefing on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Ogamba said authorities must first establish what caused the blaze before drawing conclusions or assigning responsibility.

“As I said, we already do not know the cause of this particular fire, and it would be speculative to say it is this or that,” Ogamba said. “I would suggest that we wait for the outcome of the investigations, and then we can confirm that.”

He stressed that the government already has a safety framework in place for schools and that the focus will now shift to checking whether it was followed at Utumishi Girls Academy.

“But from a policy perspective, we have a safety school manual that all the schools adhere to,” he said. “I would urge that we wait to see after the investigations whether that safety manual was adhered to in this particular school.”

Senior government officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, visited the site and hospitals to coordinate response efforts and meet affected families.

This tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly dormitory fires at Kenyan schools, raising renewed concerns about safety standards, emergency exits, and overcrowding in boarding