The 14-year-old girl implicated in the deadly Moi Girls’ Secondary School dormitory inferno in which nine students died risks spending her entire life in prison if found guilty.

The form one student yesterday denied nine counts of murder before High Court judge Luka Kimaru.

This came hours after the government positively identified the victims, following the completion of DNA testing.

She was accused of murdering nine students on September 1 at Kabarnet dormitory.

The girl denied killing Natalie Nanga, Marcia Okello, Alakirr Malong, Hana Jeysso, Whitney Kerubo, Easter Neema, Hawa Aziz, Nancy Thuju and Mary Njengo.

Justice Kimaru held the brief proceedings in camera, with only lawyers, prosecutors and the girl’s parents allowed inside the courtroom.

“This is a child’s matter and she is protected under the Children’s Act. Let all members of the media get out of the court,” he ordered.

The prosecution said they were not, however, opposed to the release of the student, pending the conclusion of her trial.

In remand

The girl has been in remand for the last seven days, as police had yet to complete investigations.

She appeared last Wednesday before Children’s Court magistrate Teresia Nyangena, who remanded her at the Kilimani police station.

State lawyers told Nyangena that she was being investigated for other offences, including arson and assault, following the fatal blaze.

Another 16 students were hospitalised with serious burns.

The accused was arrested on September 5 at her parents’ home in Thome Estate.

This followed a declaration by Education CS Fred Matiang’i that the fire was not accidental.

As part of evidence, police have included a mobile phone recovered from the girl’s mother and a laptop believed to have crucial information that may help in the trial.

“The brief investigation carried out so far shows she was involved in causing the inferno,” Kilimani DCIO Phylis Kanina stated in an affidavit.

Source: Star/Carole Maina