Mourners gather at Gilgil Stadium on Friday, 12 June 2026, for the national send-off of the 16 girls who perished in the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire.
A nation pauses to honour 16 daughters lost to fire, grief, and a locked door
By MKT Reporter
Kenya bid a final farewell to the 16 girls killed in the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire at an emotional national send-off held at Gilgil Stadium on Friday, 12 June 2026.
Fifteen hearses carried the girls from Naivasha Hospital Mortuary to the stadium in a solemn procession that drew mourners into silent sorrow. Their remains were adorned with flowers and topped with their portraits, lined up before families, schoolmates, and leaders who gathered to demand justice.
First Lady Rachel Ruto led the national delegation. “Our children are our greatest treasure. Their safety, well-being and dignity must remain at the centre of everything we do,” she said.
School captain Abigael Wanjiku spoke for a generation in mourning. “The pain of losing them is one that we will carry for a long time,” she said.
After the service, the girls were released to their families for burial.
They came to Utumishi to learn. Kenya failed to keep them safe.
Some of the moments as captured in pictures
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