Court bars media from Utumishi Girls murder trial
The eight teenagers attended the session virtually from Kabete Juvenile Remand Home, where they remain in custody, and were not presented in open court.
The High Court in Kibera, Nairobi barred members of the media from covering proceedings in the murder case involving eight students from Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru county accused of killing 16 fellow students in a dormitory fire.
The order was issued yesterday during a virtual mention of the case, with the court directing that journalists be excluded from the proceedings.
The eight teenagers attended the session virtually from Kabete Juvenile Remand Home, where they remain in custody, and were not presented in open court.
The court also heard submissions from lawyers on whether the students should undergo mental health assessments before the trial proceeds.
The suspects were expected to take plea on 16 counts of murder arising from the deadly dormitory blaze at the Gilgil-based school that claimed the lives of 16 girls.
The case was transferred from Naivasha to Kibera following concerns over the security of the accused and fears that heightened public emotions in Naivasha could compromise a fair trial.
Initially, nine students had been charged in connection with the fire, but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions later dropped charges against one girl after investigators found no evidence linking her to the incident.
The remaining eight students are scheduled to plead to the charges as the court continues to determine the next steps in one of Kenya’s deadliest school tragedies in recent years.
