Africa

15 Students Killed in Kenya School Dormitory Fire

Published

5 months ago

May 28, 2026

15 Students Killed in Kenya School Dormitory Fire

At least 15 students have been confirmed dead following a devastating overnight fire at Utumishi Girls Academy, a boarding school in Gilgil, Nakuru County, central Kenya. The fire broke out around 1:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 28, 2026, while students were asleep in a dormitory block housing approximately 220 students .

Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi confirmed the deaths, with some media reports putting the death toll at 16 . Over 100 students have been hospitalised with injuries, according to health officials, as rescue and emergency response efforts continue . The injured were rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Gilgil and surrounding medical facilities for treatment and assessment .

Police commander Masoud Mwinyi described the incident as “a sad and distressing situation” while speaking to distraught parents and crowds gathered outside the school . Firefighters from multiple agencies, including local and national emergency units, worked through the night to contain the blaze and evacuate students from the affected dormitory .

Some students sustained injuries after jumping from the upper floor of the dormitory while attempting to escape the blaze, according to witnesses . Wambui Nderitu, whose niece is a student at the school, told the BBC: “Some of those at the top floor had to jump out, that’s why they are injured.” She added that her niece survived but suffered a broken leg .

Mwinyi said some students fled into nearby areas during the chaos and were still being traced as of Thursday morning. “As we speak, our officers are combing the area because some students fled in shock and fear during the night,” he said . The school has been cordoned off, with only parents being allowed inside the compound .

The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that the fire was reported at approximately 3:30 a.m., prompting an immediate deployment of first responders, ambulance crews, and psychosocial support personnel . The National Police Service, working alongside the Kenya Defence Forces, Ministry of Education, Interior Ministry, the County Government of Nakuru, and other emergency teams, continues with search, rescue and support operations .

READ ALSO:

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat is reportedly at the school leading rescue and emergency response efforts . Authorities have yet to establish the cause of the fire, but criminal investigators and forensic experts have been deployed to the scene to determine the origin of the blaze .

This tragedy comes amid a worrying rise in school fire incidents across Kenya in recent weeks, with police saying several schools have experienced unrest, strikes and destruction of property, leading some institutions to temporarily close. The incident has reignited national concern over safety standards in boarding schools, particularly regarding fire preparedness, emergency exits, overcrowding, and compliance with safety regulations .

School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, with several deadly incidents reported in recent years. Overcrowding in dormitories and the failure to follow safety guidelines have frequently been blamed for the high number of casualties .

In September 2024, at least 21 boys died after a fire tore through a dormitory at Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri County, one of the country’s deadliest school fire disasters in recent years . President William Ruto declared three days of national mourning following that incident.

In 2017, another dormitory fire at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi killed 10 students, with investigators later concluding the blaze had been started intentionally . Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has previously called for regular mandatory inspections of all public and private schools nationwide to assess their compliance with safety standards and enhanced safety regulations for boarding schools to avert such tragedies . The church has also petitioned the government to adopt recommendations of various task forces that have investigated school fires in the past .

A 2020 audit revealed that many schools were ill-prepared for fire emergencies, lacking essential equipment such as functioning extinguishers and alarms . The Ministry of Education’s Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya outlines specific requirements, including that dormitory doors should be at least five feet wide and open outward, emergency exits must be clearly labeled, and fire extinguishing equipment should be available and fitted with alarms .

The Ministry of Education is currently conducting mandatory nationwide inspections of all public and private schools to evaluate their adherence to the guidelines outlined in the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya .

Frantic parents streamed to the school gates in large numbers as news of the tragedy spread across Gilgil and neighbouring areas. Many arrived to find confusion and fear, uncertain whether their children were among the victims. Wambui Nderitu described the scene: “When we arrived at the school we were told to queue. Most of us were so worried because we had heard some students had died and others were injured and in hospital” . She later found her niece alive but with a broken leg sustained while jumping from the dormitory’s upper floor.

As search-and-rescue operations continue, authorities are working to account for all students and support affected families during this difficult time . Further updates are expected as rescue operations conclude and investigations continue.

15 Students Killed in Kenya School Dormitory Fire

Related Topics:Kenya School Dormitory students

Up Next

Mother of 6-Month-Old on the Run After Stabbing Baby Daddy at Work Over Money

Don't Miss

DR Congo: Gunmen Storm Ebola Treatment Hospital, Demand Relatives’ Bodies

Africa

Djibouti Boat Disaster: 139 Migrants Dead, Dozens Missing

Published

16 hours ago

October 11, 2026

Trends Admin

Djibouti Boat Disaster: 139 Migrants Dead, Dozens Missing

At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after an overcrowded boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti while carrying passengers towards Yemen, in one of the deadliest recent disasters along the migration route to Gulf countries.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, said the vessel was carrying more than 300 people when it overturned near Guhere, north of Obock, during the night of October 8–9, 2026.

Initial reports put the death toll at 109, including 15 children, with more than 116 people missing. Subsequent reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press cited an updated toll of at least 139 dead, with about 84 people still missing. The figures may continue to change as authorities verify recoveries and survivors.

The boat was reportedly carrying around 305 people, according to the IOM’s later account. At least 82 people survived the disaster, although early reports gave a slightly different survivor count.

The 15 children among the initially reported dead comprised nine girls and six boys. The IOM also reported that 52 of the bodies recovered were men and 42 were women.

The vessel capsized shortly after setting out on the perilous journey across the waters separating Djibouti and Yemen. Survivors said the boat was overcrowded, while the IOM described the incident as a devastating reminder of the dangers confronting people attempting the crossing.

The agency’s Chief of Mission in Djibouti, Alexandre Coissac, said its teams were working with local authorities to provide emergency assistance to survivors and affected families.

READ ALSO:

Djiboutian authorities continued search-and-rescue operations as concerns mounted over the fate of those still missing. Local authorities were also providing medical care and arranging burials for recovered bodies.

The IOM said survivors were receiving assistance at its migrant response centre in Obock, including healthcare, food and psychosocial support.

The tragedy highlights the risks faced by migrants travelling along the Eastern Route, which connects the Horn of Africa to Yemen and, for many, onward destinations in the Gulf region.

Many people undertaking the journey are from Ethiopia and Somalia. They seek employment and better living conditions, while others are fleeing insecurity, conflict, drought and other hardships.

Despite the dangers, migrants continue to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the hope of reaching wealthier Gulf countries. The journey exposes them to shipwrecks, trafficking, exploitation and other serious threats.

The risks have been compounded by instability in Yemen, where fighting continues between the internationally recognised government and Houthi forces, alongside wider regional tensions. Meanwhile, renewed conflict and difficult living conditions in parts of Ethiopia have added to the pressures driving people to leave.

According to the IOM, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the Eastern Route in 2025, as the number of people attempting the journey increased.

The UN agency has called for greater support for Djibouti’s response, including search-and-rescue operations and emergency assistance for migrants.

The latest shipwreck has renewed calls for safer and legal migration pathways, as humanitarian agencies warn that people will continue to risk dangerous sea crossings while seeking security and economic opportunities.

As recovery operations continue, the final death toll may rise further as authorities verify missing-person reports and establish the number of people who were aboard the vessel.

Djibouti Boat Disaster: 139 Migrants Dead, Dozens Missing

Africa

FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe

Published

4 days ago

October 8, 2026

Trends Admin

FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raided a suspected scam centre in Ghana, detaining more than 130 people and uncovering nearly $10 million in identified losses linked to an international fraud operation targeting Americans.

The operation, carried out under the FBI’s Operation Blackout, also led to the seizure of more than 300 electronic devices, while investigators identified 89 victims, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Patel announced the operation on Thursday, saying the Ghana raid was part of the FBI’s wider campaign against transnational scam networks operating through so-called scam compounds.

However, the FBI has not classified everyone detained as a suspected fraudster.

Patel specifically said the more than 130 people arrested or detained included victims who are expected to be repatriated to their home countries, suggesting that some people found at the facility may have been trafficked into the operation rather than involved in running the scams.

The FBI has not disclosed the exact location of the Ghana operation, the identities or nationalities of those detained, or the Ghanaian agencies that participated in the raid.

It also remains unclear how many of those detained will face criminal charges in Ghana or possible prosecution or extradition proceedings in the United States.

Patel said the investigation was continuing, warning that scam compounds are increasingly being used to target American citizens and inflict substantial financial losses.

READ ALSO:

The Ghana operation is the latest action under Operation Blackout, which the FBI says is targeting organised fraud networks around the world.

According to Patel, the broader operation has so far resulted in roughly $17 billion in assets seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.

More than 10,000 Americans have also reportedly been warned before losing money, with the FBI estimating that about $670 million in losses were prevented.

The Ghana raid comes amid growing concern over the international expansion of online fraud and scam compounds, with law-enforcement agencies increasingly reporting links between cyber-enabled fraud and human trafficking.

In such operations, workers can be recruited through false employment offers and allegedly transported or coerced into participating in online fraud against victims in other countries.

Ghana has previously cooperated with U.S. authorities in investigations involving transnational fraud.

In July 2026, Ghanaian national Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, was extradited to the United States after being arrested in Ghana in December 2025. U.S. prosecutors accused him of participating in a romance-fraud network that allegedly targeted more than 80 elderly Americans and caused losses exceeding $8 million.

The extradition involved cooperation between Ghanaian authorities and several U.S. and Ghanaian law-enforcement bodies, including the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Accra.

The latest FBI operation also comes as international enforcement agencies increase pressure on scam networks operating outside traditional fraud hotspots in Southeast Asia.

The FBI has not released further details about the Ghana raid, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The bureau is expected to provide additional information as investigators establish the roles of those detained and determine which individuals, if any, will face prosecution.

Those accused of criminal offences are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

FBI Raids Ghana Scam Centre, Detains Over 130 in $10m Fraud Probe

Africa

Zimbabwe Tycoon Wicknell Chivayo, Wife Among Six Killed in Helicopter Crash

Published

2 weeks ago

October 1, 2026

Trends Admin

Zimbabwe Tycoon Wicknell Chivayo, Wife Among Six Killed in Helicopter Crash

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, have been killed in a helicopter crash that claimed six lives in Marondera Rural, east of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.

The crash occurred at about 5pm local time on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, with the helicopter carrying six people, including Chivayo, his wife and two pilots.

Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths, while Zimbabwean authorities said there were no survivors.

The aircraft came down in the Marondera area, about 72 kilometres east of Harare, before catching fire. Emergency responders and investigators were deployed to the scene after the crash.

Zimbabwean aviation authorities said preliminary information indicated that fuel spilled after the impact before a fire broke out. However, officials stressed that the information did not establish what caused the helicopter to crash.

READ ALSO:

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with aviation officials and other investigators examining the wreckage and circumstances surrounding the incident.

Police said the bodies were badly burned in the post-crash fire, making formal identification necessary. Forensic specialists were subsequently involved in the identification and investigation process.

Chivayo, 43, was one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent and publicly visible businessmen. He was known for his high-profile lifestyle, philanthropy and extensive social-media presence, where he frequently displayed luxury cars, properties and other expensive possessions.

He also maintained close links with senior political figures in Zimbabwe, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

READ ALSO:

His business activities and political connections had previously attracted public scrutiny, including allegations relating to government contracts and political financing. Chivayo denied wrongdoing in connection with such allegations.

News of his death triggered reactions across the region, with political and business figures expressing condolences to his family.

Kenyan President William Ruto was among those who mourned Chivayo, describing the Zimbabwean businessman as a friend.

The crash has generated significant attention in Zimbabwe because of Chivayo’s prominence and his public profile, but authorities have not attributed the accident to any specific mechanical, weather or human factor.

Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft, flight circumstances, weather conditions, pilot actions and other available evidence as they work to determine what caused the fatal helicopter crash.

Authorities have not announced a final finding on the cause of the accident.