Why Only One Family of Utumishi Fire Victims Has Been Allowed to Proceed with Burial

The identification of bodies in the Utumishi Girls Academy fire tragedy has ended, with families having positively identified their kin.

At least 16 girls perished in the tragedy after hit the school in Gilgil, Naivasha, on May 28.

The body were badly charred, prompting collection of DNA samples from family members of the victims to facilitate formal identification.

By Saturday, May 6, process had reportedly ended, with families awaiting the next step.

However, only one family has been allowed to take the body of their kin to Kwale for burial.

Zahara Rama's body was taken by her family ahead of her final rites in Kwale County.

By virtue of being from a muslim background, Zahara, one of the victims, ought to have been laid to rest within a day of her demise, but the circumstances surrounding her death saw the burial delayed.

Upon the marching of her family DNA samples, the bereaved were handed the body on Saturday, ahead of her burial the following day.

Meanwhile, the remaining 15 families will wait for a joint requeim mass organised by the government before they can leave with their kin's bodies.

Some families are however opposed to the joint requiem mass, arguing that they should be allowed to send off their kin as soon as possible.

With the requeim mass slated for June 17, the families said it would elongate their suffering and costs they have to incur as they prepare for the burials.

"We have been informed that the government is planning for some programmes, and this has taken already long for us. Most of us as families have already incurred a lot of pain and trauma. We consider the requeim mass taking too long. We need to come to a closure of this matter, and failure to finish this will continually bring us the memory of our children and the pain that were are already carrying," one of the parents said.

"We feel the government is not considering the pain the families are going through. I want to request the government to allow us to take the bodies. This is not a ceremony, there is nothing to celebrate about this matter, and nothing to expect from what has already happened," he added.

Meanwhile, a Naivasha court directed that nine students accused of involvement in the Utumishi Academy fire to remain at the Nakuru Children’s Remand Home for 21 days as investigations proceed.

The ruling came after the students opposed a prosecution bid to detain them for 30 days.

The magistrate settled on a shorter period, ordering their custody until June 24 when the case will be mentioned again.

In its decision, the court noted the gravity of the allegations and agreed with prosecutors that releasing the minors could compromise witnesses.

The defence had argued there were no compelling reasons to deny bond, but the court rejected the plea.

The suspects are under investigation for possible murder and arson charges linked to the dormitory blaze that killed 16 students.

CCTV footage captured five students moving through the dormitory shortly after midnight on May 28, tiptoeing between sleeping areas and appearing to check if others were asleep.

The group was seen near one of the cubes before heading toward a different one, where they briefly vanished from view.