Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that all students at Utumishi Girls’ Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, will be released to their parents by midday today following the fire tragedy that has left 16 learners dead.

Addressing the press on Thursday, May 28, the CS said the learners will be released once the relevant authorities complete the process of accounting for all the students.

“We will also be releasing learners with their parents who are here during the course of the day. The cause of the fire is yet to be known, with investigations ongoing,” Ogamba announced.

In his remarks, Ogamba directed Utumishi Girls’ parents to report through a government hotline as authorities continue accounting for all learners.

He announced that the government had activated hotline number 1199 for parents to report information regarding students who may have left the school with relatives or guardians after the incident.

“Investigations are ongoing, and there is a hotline number 1199 to which we ask the parents to keep reporting, especially those who left with their kids when they came earlier, and that hotline number will also be available for counselling,” he said.

Ogamba further revealed that the institution has a total population of 815 girls, with 808 learners present in school at the time of the fire incident, while 7 others were home due to undisclosed reasons.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this school has 815 girls. At the time of the incident, 808 were in school; seven of the girls were at home for various reasons,” Ogamba said.

According to the CS, 16 learners have so far been confirmed dead, 79 sustained injuries during the incident and were rushed to the hospital for treatment, with 71 treated and later discharged.

The CS said the fire broke out at around 12:45am and was contained at about 3am by emergency response teams, although extensive damage had already been done.

At the same time, Ogamba also cautioned the public against speculation over the cause of the fire, saying investigations would determine whether the school complied with government safety regulations.

“Let’s not be speculative at this stage. We have a school safety manual that all schools adhere to. Let’s wait and see if the manual was adhered to after the investigation,” the CS stated.