Nine students arrested in connection with the suspected arson attack at Utumishi Girls' Academy that killed 16 students were arraigned in court on Tuesday, June 2.
The nine arrived at the Naivasha Law Courts in a fleet of five vehicles from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI): one Volkswagen Tigua, three Subarus and one pick-up truck.
Multiple uniformed police officers were deployed to the court premises ahead of their arrival and escorted into the courtroom.
The nine were heavily dressed in clothes that hid their faces, including hooded sweaters and balaclavas. They matched towards their dock, facing down, to avoid the cameras from the media covering the story.
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Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Lorot, who is presiding over the case, issued orders preventing the identities of the suspects from being disclosed in line with Section 220 of the Children's Act.
Lorot only allowed their parents and members of the press into the courtroom but barred live coverage of the court proceedings.
The prosecutor asked the court to allow the police to hold the suspects for 30 days at the Nakuru Children's Remand Home to prevent interference with the investigations and guarantee the safety of the suspects.
"The respondents are facing serious offences, and the incident has elicited a strong public response. The safety and security of the respondents is in danger," the prosecutor told the court.
However, the counsel representing the suspects opposed the request, stating that the police wanted to hold them without preferring any charges against them.
The lawyer added that there was no evidence to suggest that the suspects were a flight risk and that they are minors, hence could not interfere with an investigation conducted by multiple government agencies.
Chief Magistrate Lorot ruled that the suspects will spend a night at the Nakuru Children's Remand home and allowed only lawyers representing them to access them.
According to court documents, the suspects told the detectives that they set the dormitory ablaze in protest of decisions made by the school's leadership.
These include changing the exam calendar and charging students to attend a cultural event. Additionally, they claimed to have been influenced by a neighbouring boys' school, which was closed indefinitely after they went on strike.
CCTV footage released by the school showed how a group of students set the dormitory on fire at midnight, just three hours after 9 p.m, when the plan was first conceived.
16 students died while 79 others were injured in the inferno. Parents of the deceased students have demanded justice for their children.
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