The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has squarely blamed the Ministry of Education (MoE) for the dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, that killed 16 students on May 28, 2026, claiming the ministry’s forced enrollment directives created fatally overcrowded conditions at the institution.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, KUPPET National Chairman Omboko Milemba said the affected dormitory was operating at nearly double its designated capacity because the ministry consistently compelled the institution to admit more students than its infrastructure could safely accommodate.
“The school had a capacity of only 200 Grade 10 students, but the ministry gave them 400 students. That school is also sponsored by the Kenya Police Service and was given 81 students. So the intake is 481 to 500. There is a problem with the Ministry of Education,” Milemba said.
Milemba further alleged that the ministry routinely forces school principals to accept mid-term student transfers from other institutions, often without vetting the students’ backgrounds and over the explicit objections of school heads.
“All these transfers were caused by the ministry. The ministry seems to be forcing students into certain schools even without the real acceptance or willingness of the principals of those schools,” he said.
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KUPPET also moved to defend the school’s teachers against circulating claims that they had received prior warnings of an impending fire or safety threat and failed to act. Milemba said the only issue brought to teachers’ attention the previous evening was a complaint about the quality of the school’s dinner, which had been resolved and had no connection to the subsequent fire.
“There was nothing like information with the teachers. The teachers had dealt with the supper issue the previous day, and that supper matter had nothing to do with the fire in the night. We shall therefore be asking the ministry and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to conduct a thorough investigation,” Milemba said.
The Union confirmed that detectives had already confiscated mobile phones belonging to several teachers for forensic analysis as investigations into the incident continue.
KUPPET Nakuru County Branch Executive Secretary Duncan Gitau, speaking at the same briefing, called for a broader community response to address the root causes of unrest in schools.
“Let us talk to our children. Let us talk to our agencies. Let us take a wholesome approach to this,” Gitau said.
By Benedict Aoya
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