Utumishi Girls school tragedy: Pain as families told to wait longer to bury their children despite identifying bodies

What was expected to bring answers instead turned into another day of grief and anguish for parents affected by the Utumishi Girls Senior School fire tragedy.

While three families finally got the painful confirmation they had been waiting for after identifying their daughters among the 16 learners who died in the inferno, many others were left staring at an uncertain future, unable to tell whether their children were among the victims.

For the families that managed to identify their daughters at the Naivasha Sub County hospital morgue, the moment brought both closure and unbearable sorrow.

Njuki Nthimba said his family identified his niece, Nichole Michelle, through her facial features despite the extensive burn injuries on her body.

"It was a heavy moment for us viewing all the 16 bodies just to be able to identify my niece. It is a feeling I would not want anybody to experience," he said.

Even after positively identifying her, the family's wait is not over. Nthimba noted that they cannot begin burial arrangements until DNA tests of the remaining 13 are completed and the results released to individual parents.

Also at the facility, the family of Grade 10 student Abigail Chepngeno struggled to come to terms with their loss after finally seeing their daughter.

Shila Kipsiwa said the family had travelled repeatedly between Kericho and Gilgil since Thursday, desperately hoping for good news.

"It is a great loss for us as a family. Abigail was a bright child with a bright future ahead of her. It is painful that her life ended by other students," she said.

Shila said see cannot pretend to understand the pain of the other parents whose children's bodies are burned beyond recognition. Adding that she stepped into the morgue and couldn't not believe what I was seeing.

"Children who were full of life just the other day lay lifeless and their dreams passed way like the wing blowing,” she noted 

Shila said they would want these children to be brought to areas where grieving parents are mourning the loss of their children so that the students who set the dormitory ablaze could see how much pain they have caused to parents, relatives and friends of the deceased.

Kipsiwa said that while identifying Abigail had ended days of uncertainty, it was heartbreaking that they could not immediately take her body home to Kericho because of the ongoing forensic process.

Another family that found painful closure was that of Zuhura Rahma, a Grade 10 student from Diani who was identified through her facial features and part of the hijab she was wearing.

Speaking on behalf of the family, an Imam Hussein Ware described Rahma as a devoted Muslim who cherished her faith.

"Rahma was a girl who loved her religion. She was known for sleeping in her hijab, and that is one of the things that helped us identify her today," he said.

Ware notes that as Muslim household they would not want to go against the government wishes however asked if the process could be expidited.

"It the Fourth day and we have not conducted Rahma's burial. We hope this process will be done soon for us to lay her to rest," he noted

As these families began mourning their daughters, dozens of other parents remained trapped in different kind of pain — the agony of not knowing.

 Some sat quietly in prayer, others broke down in tears, hoping that DNA tests would provide answers and end the torment that has haunted them since the deadly fire broke out.

Investigator began the DNA analysis process yesterday at the Utumishi Girls Senior School while some parents had some of their DNA sample collected today before the postmortem began.

Parent now wait for Four to Five day before the DNS results could come back before knowing how they will proceed.

For many parents, Saturday was not just a day of identification; it was another painful reminder of the lives lost and the long journey towards healing that still lies ahead.

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