Families of fifteen students who perished in the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Senior School will receive the remains of their loved ones on Friday, June 12, following a requiem mass scheduled in Gilgil.
The decision comes after days of frustration and anguish among bereaved families at the Naivasha Sub-County Hospital mortuary.
Although DNA identification of the victims had been completed, parents were unable to collect the bodies and opposed an earlier proposal by the funeral organising committee to release them on June 17.
Gilgil Deputy County Commissioner Stanley Mutai confirmed that the memorial service date was brought forward after consultations with the affected families, who appealed for an earlier release of the remains.
The requiem mass will be held at Gilgil Stadium beginning at 9:00 a.m. Mutai said authorities expect the service to conclude by noon, allowing families to travel home with the bodies in good time.
“After consultation, the requiem mass will be on Friday. We hope to conclude by noon to allow families to travel with the remains of their loved ones in good time,” said Mutai.
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Authorities noted that the revised programme was designed to ease the burden on grieving families while ensuring a coordinated and dignified farewell for the fifteen students who lost their lives in the Utumishi Academy fire tragedy that claimed the lives of sixteen students.
Families will also receive logistical support, including transportation and financial assistance, to facilitate burial arrangements.
This comes after Zuhura Rama, one of the victims, was laid to rest at her family home in Mkwakwani Village, Kwale County, on Sunday, June 7, after DNA tests positively identified her remains.
The confirmation enabled her family to conduct her burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
By Frank Mugwe
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