Editor's Review

The student, who is now 18 years old, was in December last year found guilty of manslaughter by Justice Stella Mutuku. 

A student who set a dormitory on fire at Moi Girls High School in Kibra, Nairobi County in September 2017 killing 10 students has been sentenced.  

The High Court has today, Thursday, February 24 ruled that the student whose identity is yet to be revealed will serve five years in prison.

The student, who is now 18 years old, was in December last year found guilty of manslaughter by Justice Stella Mutuku. 

At the time of the incident, the accused was a minor aged 14 years. 

{Students holding portraits of the fire tragedy victims PHOTO/COURTESY}

Justice Mutuku said the accused did not start the fire to kill her schoolmates, but did so in a desperate attempt to get transferred from the school by any means.

"Her aim may have been just to cause a fire and burn the building without hurting anyone, but it was ill-intentioned, given that the building had two floors and there were going to be casualties as a result of the fire," she said.

She was housed in Kabarnet dormitory, where the inferno occurred. 

The fire is said to have started from the prime suspect’s cubicle before it quickly spread to adjacent ones and eventually destroyed the entire dormitory housing more than 300 Form One students. 

At the time, the school had a population of more than 1000 students.