Student Who Killed 10 Girls in Dorm Fire at Moi Girls School Nairobi Imprisoned for Five Years

A former Moi Girls School Nairobi student who started the fire that killed 10 girls at the school has been sentenced to five years in prison. This is after she was found guilty of manslaughter in the fire incident that occurred on the night of September 1st/2nd 2017.

Trial judge Stella Mutuku in December last year acquitted the girl of the offense of murder in all the 10 counts and ruled that the offense proved beyond a reasonable doubt was that of manslaughter. She ruled that the prosecution did not prove any malicious intent on the part of the girl who was 14 years old at the time of the incident.

On Thursday, Justice Mutuku sentenced the 18-year-old girl to five years for each of the 10 counts of manslaughter but the sentences will run concurrently. The judge declined to impose a non-custodial sentence on the convict, arguing that the offense of manslaughter is a serious one and calls for a custodial sentence

Justice Mutuku said she arrived at the decision since the accused committed the offense when she was a minor, adding that she was guided by the law and authorities from the Court of Appeal and probation report. She observed that parents of the victims lost their children who were young and their lives will never be the same again.

The sentence will run from December 16th, 2021 when she was convicted of manslaughter.

The court heard that the convict tried to commit suicide more than twice before she resorted to setting a dormitory on fire. Investigations established that the student had unsuccessfully attempted to take her life by swallowing a detergent.

The fire started from her cubicle before it quickly spread to adjacent ones and eventually razed the entire dormitory housing more than 300 Form One students.