CCTV footage recorded moments before the devastating fire that swept through a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, claiming the lives of 16 students and leaving dozens of others injured.
The footage is now at the centre of investigations with detectives looking into events leading up to the inferno that struck in the early hours of Thursday morning, May 28.
According to investigators, the events unfolded at around 12:10 a.m. when five students quietly walked into the dormitory while most occupants were asleep.
The footage shows the group making its way to Cube 11, where they briefly stopped before proceeding further into the dormitory. Detectives noted that throughout the movement, the students did not appear to exchange any words.
One of the students is seen attempting to conceal her face from the surveillance cameras while carrying a slipper, which investigators believe may have been intended to help muffle footsteps as they moved through the dormitory.
Moments later, three of the students are seen quickly moving toward the dormitory entrance, leaving two others behind.
It is these two students, investigators say, who allegedly ignited the first fire.
The CCTV footage reportedly captures the pair striking a matchbox before calmly walking away toward the exit. But the first blaze was only the beginning.
Investigators say the students then moved toward another section of the dormitory where mattresses were stored and started a second fire. This time, the flames spread more rapidly.
After confirming that the fires had taken hold, the suspects are seen leaving the dormitory without raising an alarm, according to investigators.
Within minutes, smoke and flames began spreading through the building.
By 12:13 a.m., panic had erupted inside the dormitory as students woke up to thick smoke and growing flames. Some are seen attempting to understand what was happening while others scrambled to find a way out.
The fire claimed the lives of 16 students, while 79 others sustained injuries.
