Kenyan prosecutors to charge students with murder in deadly dormitory fire
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
Kenyan prosecutors announced they will charge several students with the murder of 16 schoolmates following a dormitory fire in late May. The incident at Utumishi Girls’ School in Gilgil, approximately 100 kilometers north of Nairobi, resulted in the deaths of 16 pupils aged 15 to 18 and injuries to 132 others. Nine students from the school, which primarily serves children of police officers, remain in police custody, having been arrested on arson charges the day after the tragedy. The Director of Public Prosecutions has approved charges against the implicated students, who are expected to face 16 counts of murder each. A spokesperson for the prosecutors office indicated that the suspects would likely be charged in court on Wednesday, but declined to provide further details as they are minors. Kenya has a history of deadly dormitory fires, with the Kenyan Red Cross recording at least 47 such incidents in 2026 alone. Several fires have occurred since the Utumishi incident, leading many boarding schools to send pupils home to prevent similar disasters. Experts suggest these incidents may be linked to copycat attacks and frustration with the education system.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19 and will present the trophy to the winning team, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Infantino confirmed this during an appearance on Fox and Friends, stating they would jointly enjoy the final and present the trophy. This follows a previous incident where Trump presented the Club World Cup to Chelsea, remaining on stage during the team's celebrations.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals in his team's 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, increasing his FIFA World Cup tally to 10 goals. This achievement places him in the top 10 all-time World Cup goalscorers and makes him the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. Ronaldo's brace also surpassed Portuguese legend Eusébio's record of nine World Cup goals. Lionel Messi remains the tournament's all-time leading scorer with 18 goals, while France's Kylian Mbappé is second among active players with 16 goals, matching Miroslav Klose's previous record. Ronaldo has now scored in six consecutive FIFA World Cups 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 and extended his men's international record to 145 goals.
Must ReadThe Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN has voiced concerns regarding a significant 22.5% year-on-year contraction in commercial bank credit to the manufacturing sector in 2025, falling from N8.53 trillion in December 2024 to N6.61 trillion in December 2025. Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General of MAN, stated that this decline, which represents a N1.92 trillion reduction, is alarming and could impede industrial growth, job creation, and economic diversification. He noted that manufacturing experienced one of the steepest credit contractions among major sectors, trailing behind the oil and gas sector N10.59 trillion and the finance sector N9.24 trillion in credit attraction. Ajayi-Kadir attributed the credit allocation decline to high interest rates, bureaucratic hurdles, and inconsistent policies, also criticizing the non-implementation of the N1 trillion Manufacturing Stabilisation Fund from the Federal Government’s Accelerated Stabilisation and Advancement Plan ASAP in 2024. He warned that inadequate access to affordable financing could undermine the 2025 Nigeria Industrial Policy NIP and lead to reduced manufacturing capacity utilization, stagnation of the sector’s GDP contribution, job losses, supply-side inflation, and foreign exchange pressures. To address these issues, Ajayi-Kadir proposed reducing benchmark interest rates by 200 to 300 basis points, incentivizing banks to lend to manufacturing at single-digit rates, increasing the capital base of the Bank of I