Court Clears One Student in Fire That Killed 16 Girls, 8 Still Face Murder Charges.
One of the nine students initially linked to the fatal fire incident at Utumishi Girls High School has been released after investigations established that she was not involved in the commission of the offence.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the court ordered the student’s immediate release and directed that she be handed over to her parents following confirmation from investigators that she bore no culpability in the matter.
The order was issued by Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramadhan Lorot during proceedings held to confirm the status of investigations and receive directions regarding the next phase of the case.
In a statement, the ODPP noted that investigations had cleared the student of any involvement in the incident.
“The court ordered the release of one of the suspects and directed that she be handed over to her parents after investigations established that she was not culpable in the commission of the offence,” the ODPP stated.
The development follows a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to approve murder charges against students linked to the May 28 fire tragedy at Utumishi Girls High School, which claimed the lives of 16 students.
The decision to prosecute was reached after a review of an investigation file submitted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which has been conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the fire.
On June 23, the ODPP announced that nine students would face 16 counts of murder following the DPP’s approval of the prosecution based on evidence gathered during the investigations.
However, subsequent investigations resulted in one of the students being cleared of any criminal responsibility, reducing the number of suspects facing prosecution to eight.
During the court proceedings, the prosecution team, led by Rift Valley Deputy Regional Coordinator Emmah Bosire, informed the court that the DPP had approved the preferred charges and that arrangements were being made for the suspects’ formal arraignment.
Chief Magistrate Lorot subsequently extended the detention of the remaining eight suspects by two days to facilitate their formal appearance before the court and plea-taking process.
The court further directed that the eight students be remanded at either the Nakuru Children’s Remand Home or the Nairobi Children’s Remand Home pending their arraignment.
Read Also: KNEC Issues Urgent July 30 Deadline for All Grade 10 Learners
The eight suspects are expected to appear before the court on June 26, where they will formally take plea on the 16 murder charges arising from the Utumishi Girls High School fire tragedy.
The case remains under the management of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations as legal proceedings continue.
Court Clears One Student in Fire That Killed 16 Girls, 8 Still Face Murder Charges.
Follow Teachers Updates on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. Get in touch with our editors at hello@teachersupdates.news.
