Nairobi — Eight students from Utumishi Girls Academy are scheduled to appear before the Kibera Law Court for a mention before Justice Diana Kaveta.

They are expected to appear before the Kibera Law Courts to answer to 16 counts of murder arising from a tragic dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 16 schoolgirls.

The students are accused of being involved in the fire that engulfed one of the school's dormitories.

The case was transferred from Naivasha to Nairobi following concerns over the safety of the accused students and fears that heightened public hostility in the area could interfere with the proceedings.

The eight students alleged to have been involved in a suspected arson attack at a Kenyan girls' school that killed 16 pupils have been arrested, police say.

The fire at the Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, tore through the upper floor of a dormitory which had 135 bunk beds.

After interviews with students and staff and a forensic review of CCTV footage, eight pupils at the school were identified as "persons of interest in connection with the planning and execution" of the fire, the National Police Service said in a statement.

Investigations are continuing into the exact cause of the blaze.