Kenya arrests 8 students suspected of arson in deadly school fire

Kenyan authorities have arrested eight students on ‌suspicion of arson over a fire at a girls’ boarding school that killed 16 students, police said on Friday.

The fire at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School ​in Gilgil in west-central Kenya broke out in the early ​hours of Thursday and also injured 79 students.

Fires are common ⁠at Kenyan schools, with many set by students protesting harsh discipline ​and poor conditions, researchers have found.

“Preliminary investigations have identified eight students ​as persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution of the suspected arson attack,” the police’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations said in a statement.

Read more: Reuters