I struggled to sleep! Murkomen recalls Utumishi Academy CCTV footage

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen/FILE

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire.

The CS described the incident as distressing and a wake-up call on the importance of discipline and character among learners.

Speaking after reviewing CCTV footage of the incident, Murkomen said he was shaken by what he saw, adding that the actions of the students involved were difficult to comprehend.

“I was reviewing the CCTV footage of Utumishi Academy, and I felt very sad. I even struggled to sleep because we could see the kids who were coming to light the fire,” he said.

The Interior CS noted that the students involved appeared to be bright and promising but lamented that they had allegedly engaged in an act that destroyed the dormitory while their colleagues were inside.

“Very brilliant kids. Some who have got the best because that's a national school. But for them to just get paraffin and a matchbox and burn a dormitory, really consciously seeing their colleagues sleeping there and walk out and leave them to die, that is something,” Murkomen said.

He described the incident as deeply disturbing and urged students to reflect on the broader implications of their actions, warning against overemphasis on academic performance at the expense of discipline and moral grounding.

Murkomen called on learners across the country to prioritise character development alongside academic excellence, saying education must go beyond examinations.

“That is the most demonic thing I saw myself and I have seen. As children and as students, as teenagers, you need to know that it is not enough to be brilliant. It is important to have the right character, the right attitude of learning, and the necessary skills that you need to navigate life,” he said.

He urged students not to focus solely on academic achievement, emphasising the need for discipline and personal responsibility.

“Don’t only focus on, I must pass my exams. You must ask yourself, where is the place of character and discipline in your life?” he said. 

In an update, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said it had positively identified the students who allegedly lit the fire that killed 16 students at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil, Nakuru County.

The DCI said a major breakthrough was achieved following a detailed forensic analysis of CCTV footage recovered from the school.

According to the agency, investigators conducted an enhanced review of the footage at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory within the National Police Service Forensics Laboratory, leading to the identification of the students involved in the arson incident.

“After conducting a thorough, detailed forensic analysis of the CCTV footage recovered from the school coupled with enhanced review at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory at DCI National Police Service Forensics Laboratory, a positive identification of the students who lit the fire has been realised,” the statement said.

The DCI revealed that analysis conducted in collaboration with teachers enabled investigators to confirm the identities of seven students who participated in the arson before fleeing the scene.

Of the eight suspects who had initially been arrested, six have been positively identified through the CCTV footage. The seventh identified student had earlier been released to her parents and is currently not in custody.

“Efforts are now underway to trace and arrest her,” the DCI said.