Kenyan police arrest eight female students on suspicion of arson following a fire at a girls’ boarding school that killed 16 students and injured 79 others. Multiple outlets report the fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil, west-central Kenya, destroying part of a dormitory and leading to the deaths and injuries. Authorities say the arrests are based on preliminary investigations identifying the students’ alleged involvement and that investigations are ongoing. ABC News and several other outlets describe the suspects as students detained for suspicion of arson after the incident. Reporting from South China Morning Post, and echoed by others, notes that fires at Kenyan schools are not uncommon and that researchers have previously linked some school fires to protests over harsh discipline and poor conditions, though this account is presented as background context rather than an established motive in the current case. Police actions and the investigation are described as ongoing, with details of how the fire started and the students’ alleged role not fully settled in the reports.