AllAfrica

A fire broke out around 1 a.m. on Thursday at Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in central Kenya, injuring an unknown number of students. The cause remains undetermined as investigations continue. Reports conflict on the death toll and precise location.

Senegal's National Assembly elected Ousmane Sonko as speaker on Tuesday with 132 votes in favor, zero against, and one abstention after opposition lawmakers boycotted the session. Sonko, who had been dismissed as prime minister by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye four days earlier, was the sole candidate following the resignation of the previous speaker. Pastef holds 130 of 165 seats in the assembly.

The Kenyan Senate will host the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast at Nairobi's Safari Park Hotel, with President William Ruto leading prayers under a theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. Senate Speaker Amason Kingi linked the theme to rising political temperatures ahead of the 2027 general election. All reported details derive from a single outlet, AllAfrica.

A fire broke out at Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory in Gilgil, Kenya, around 01:00 local time on Thursday and was reported more than two hours later. Multiple sources confirm the dormitory housed about 220 students and that the cause remains undetermined, while reports differ on the exact number of fatalities and injuries. Past school fires in Kenya are documented across sources.

John Mbadi, Kenya's National Treasury Cabinet Secretary, stated that the State House budget is too small to meaningfully fund education while expressing openness to changes in agriculture. Parliament is scheduled to debate the 2026/2027 budget estimates and Finance Bill, 2026. All claims originate from AllAfrica reporting.