The 29th June 2026 Daily Nation headline understates the seriousness of what Kenyans have been told happened to students at St George’s Girls Senior School. The allegations reported by students describe conduct that, if confirmed, goes far beyond an “inappropriate body search.” They describe conduct that amounts to sexual assault and serious violations of children’s rights committed under the guise of school security.
On the night of May 27, 2026, a dormitory at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil caught fire. Sixteen students died and 79 others were injured when a fire tore through the Meline Waithera block, a dormitory housing approximately 220 students. In the days that followed, CCTV footage from inside the dormitory went viral, broadcast on television, shared across WhatsApp, dissected on X. The footage aired by a local TV station showed students walking through the dormitory moments before the fire broke out, revealing how persons of interest moved from cube to cube before the blaze erupted near the exit points, trapping dozens of students who were still sleeping. Then a second conversation started- quieter, but just as uncomfortable. CCTV footage showed girls inside their dormitory. They were minors. They hadn’t consented to being filmed. They hadn’t consented to their images being broadcast on national television. And now, some of them are facing murder charges partly based on that footage.
With 16 Utumishi Girls Academy students dead and 74 injured, the nation reels from another horrific tragic incident. As feminists are forced to organize another public memorial this coming Madaraka Day, what would it take to keep all Kenya’s women and children safe?
As the primary accountability season nears, politicians suddenly pick our calls and patterns sharpen. How do last week’s Senate exchange, a youth poll, and this week’s by‑election connect and why do all parties in power need to pay attention?
Nairobi, 2 October 2025: Amnesty International Kenya warmly congratulates software developer and civic tech advocate Rose Njeri on her inclusion in the 2025 TIME100 Next Leaders list, a global recognition of emerging leaders shaping the future.
The BBC Africa Eye “Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade” documentary is classic investigative journalism. Given the gravity of the findings and the public call for action to be taken to stop the trade in women and girls, the Interior Cabinet Secretary’s reaction was unexpected. How big a problem does Kenya have, and what could be done to better protect it?
The world is reaping a harvest of terrifying consequences from escalating conflict and the near breakdown of international law, said Amnesty International as it launched its annual The State of the World’s Human Rights report today, delivering an assessment of human rights in 155 countries.
The phrase “in the best interest of the child” holds significant weight in international human rights law, particularly within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Framework. The principle, aiming to safeguard children’s well-being, has become more crucial than ever in the wake of tragic incidents affecting learners in Kenyan schools.
By Irũngũ Houghton
By Kelvin Opere and Najma Mahat