Kenya prosecutors charge eight students with murder for fire

Prosecutors in Kenya have approved murder charges against eight students in connection with a deadly dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The fire on May 28 claimed the lives of 16 pupils and injured dozens more.

The suspects, who are minors, will each face 16 counts of murder. A ninth student initially arrested has been released after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against her. She was handed over to her parents by court order.

The case has been transferred from Naivasha to the High Court in Nairobi for the suspects' arraignment, a move granted by Naivasha Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramathan on Wednesday. State Counsel Emma Bosire argued the transfer was necessary for the safety and wellbeing of the accused, citing credible intelligence reports of public hostility and security risks in the locality where the offense occurred. The prosecution requested the students be detained at the Nairobi Children's Remand Home in Kabete.

The transfer was opposed by an advocate representing the victims, Mbugua Macharia, who argued that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to...