It turns out that playing with matches in an overcrowded dormitory has real-world consequences. Kenyan prosecutors have announced they are dropping the hammer on eight students, aged 15 to 18, charging them with 16 counts of murder. This comes after a suspected arson attack on May 28 at Utumishi Girls' School in Gilgil, which left 16 classmates dead and dozens more injured. The suspects are currently sitting in custody and are scheduled to be formally charged this Friday.

The details of the incident read like a checklist of absolute safety failures. The fire took place on the upper floor of a dormitory that was packed with 135 bunk beds, housing a whopping 202 students. According to police, the suspects decided to set mattresses on fire right next to an exit. To make matters worse, when the fire spread, the emergency exit door was locked shut, leaving 202 panicked teenagers to squeeze through a single doorway to escape.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba stated that preliminary findings showed "multiple breaches of safety measures," which is a polite way of saying the school was running an absolute death trap. Overcrowding and locked doors are apparently the standard operating procedure here. It seems the administration thought locking emergency exits in a packed dorm was a brilliant idea.

But the cops actually did their jobs this time, reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing staff and students to identify the eight "persons of interest" who allegedly planned and executed the fire. Now, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) is taking a hardline stance. The ODPP noted there has been a massive rise in school arson cases lately and warned that anyone trying to burn down their school will be held fully accountable.

Burning down boarding schools is apparently a recurring trend in Kenya. Disgruntled students who get mad about rules, discipline, or living conditions frequently decide that arson is the best way to handle their grievances. Just two years ago, another dormitory fire in central Kenya killed 21 people. Yet, despite the body counts, schools continue to ignore basic safety guidelines like keeping exits clear and windows unlocked.

While the system is clearly a mess, the state is making it clear that using arson as a protest method is going to land you in a real prison. We will see how the Friday court date in Naivasha plays out, but for now, the message is simple: stop burning down your own schools.

Sources: * Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Republic of Kenya * Ministry of Education, Republic of Kenya * Republic of Kenya Judiciary, Naivasha Law Courts