One student linked to the Utumishi Girls High School fire tragedy has been freed after investigations cleared her of any involvement in the fatal incident.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

From a statement seen by  Kenyans.co.ke , ODPP says that the court ordered her immediate release and directed that she be handed over to her parents, bringing some relief to at least one family caught in the harrowing incident.

Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramadhan Lorot issued the order after the prosecution confirmed that investigations had established the student bore no culpability in the commission of the offence.

“The court… ordered the release of one of the suspects and directed that she be handed over to her parents after investigations established that she was not culpable in the commission of the offence,” stated ODPP.

📌 What You Need to Know

Her release marks a pivotal development in the case that has turned heads in the country since the events leading up to the arrests.

However, eight other suspects are not out of trouble yet since the court extended their detention by two days to allow for their formal arraignment on murder charges.

This development comes a day after a June 23 presser by ODPP that implicated the nine students to face  16 murder charges after the DPP approved their prosecution following a review of evidence submitted by investigators.

The decision followed a review of an investigation file submitted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which has been probing the circumstances surrounding the May 28 fire tragedy.

ODPP has not made it clear what circumstances led to the one student walking scot-free, despite the high public interest in the case.

The prosecution team, led by Deputy Regional Coordinator for the Rift Valley Emmah Bosire, confirmed to the court that the DPP had greenlit the charges before the bench.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke