Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has outlined the process the government is using to identify victims of the deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, saying officials are first accounting for survivors before narrowing down the list of missing students.

Speaking at the school on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Murkomen said authorities were using what he described as a “deductive method” to trace all learners affected by the tragedy.

“We are trying to reach as many parents as possible, identifying those who are here and releasing them,” Murkomen said. “Then for those who are unaccounted for, we start speaking to those parents, counselling them and reaching out to them.”

He said the process involves accounting for students who are safe, injured, admitted to the hospital or already reunited with their families before authorities begin confirming the identities of those who died in the dormitory fire.

Murkomen said the government had been forced to move quickly because parents across the country were desperately searching for information about their children.

“But then this creates another problem for us,” he said. “Parents are anxious and trying to know who among them has lost their loved one.”

The Interior CS also explained why the government confirmed the number of deaths before completing the formal identification process. He said authorities would normally wait until all identification procedures are complete before releasing casualty figures, but information about the tragedy had already spread widely online.

“In another environment, we would have kept these numbers until we dealt with identification,” Murkomen said. “But because of social media and the speed at which information moves, it became difficult to control the information. We thought it was only fair to confirm that people had passed on.”

He added that the rapid spread of information had forced authorities to adjust how they handled the crisis.

“We have had to work backwards because of the nature in which information flies in this world,” he said.

Investigation and support efforts

The fire broke out at a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County, killing students and injuring dozens more. Rescue teams, police officers and emergency personnel spent hours searching the scene and evacuating injured learners to hospitals.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said 16 students died in the tragedy, while 79 others suffered injuries.

“Out of 808 girls, 79 were injured. Seventy-one have been treated and discharged, while seven remain admitted. We have 16 fatalities whose identities will be identified. The process of accounting is taking place,” Ogamba said.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire. Ogamba said investigations are underway and that the government is working with investigators and emergency responders to establish what sparked the blaze.

At the school, security officers restricted access as investigators combed through the damaged dormitory. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, the National Police Service, the Kenya Red Cross and the Nakuru County government remained at the scene throughout the day.

The identification process remains highly sensitive because many parents are waiting for updates about their children.