‘I Am to Blame’: Utumishi Founder Accepts Responsibility for School Tragedy

Edward Mbugua, founder of Utumishi Girls Senior School, has called on the government to reconsider the use of boarding schools following a fire that killed 16 students at the Gilgil institution.

Speaking at a requiem mass on Friday, Mbugua accepted personal responsibility for the tragedy and urged reforms in Kenya’s education system. The former Deputy Inspector General of Police argued that boarding schools have become increasingly unsafe amid rising fire incidents nationwide. 

He suggested that dormitories could be converted into training workshops and recommended expanding day schools to reduce the need for students to live away from home. He also called for the end of single-sex schooling, stating that boys and girls could be educated together as they are at home.

Kenya currently has between 3,000 and 4,000 boarding secondary schools, compared with more than 7,000 day schools. Boarding schools have been disproportionately affected by unrest and fire outbreaks. 

According to the Kenya Red Cross, 47 schools have reported fire incidents since January, including 16 after the Utumishi fire. The organisation confirmed that 187 people have been treated for fire-related injuries this year, 132 of them from the Gilgil blaze alone.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos said 204 senior schools have reported unrest in recent months, while day schools have largely remained unaffected. In response, CS Migos has formed an interministerial committee to investigate the causes of unrest and recommend reforms.

Mbugua acknowledged his role in the disaster, saying: “I am to blame for this tragedy. I started the school. The Board of Management is also to blame because they did not raise concerns about inadequate facilities.” 

He noted that legislators and administrators had not petitioned for improved resources prior to the fire. The requiem mass at Gilgil Stadium was attended by families, senior government officials, and the First Lady.