Edward Njoroge Mbugua is the former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service and founder of Utumishi Girls’ Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County.
The school is part of the Utumishi education ecosystem, which also includes Utumishi Boys’ Academy in the police service.
Speaking at the memorial service for the 16 students who died at Utumishi Girls High School on June 12, 2026, Mbugua detailed how the school was started and his contribution to the school’s development.
“Our condolences for the death of our students who perished in this unfortunate incident. From that, I would like to say I have been seeing a lot on social media talking about the school. They don’t know how it started, but they were being told that the school was started by Edward Mbugua, that is true. We started in 2018. I was in my first year as the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, I came for a prize-giving day in July at Utumishi Boys,” Said Mbugua.
How Utumishi Girls Academy was started
The idea of establishing Utumishi Girls’ Academy started in 2018, during Mbugua’s tenure as DIG.
According to Mbugua, the establishment was started during a prize-giving event at Utumishi Boys’ Academy, when a parent questioned why there was no equivalent school for girls.
Also Read: Meaning of the Name Meline Waithera in the Utumishi Girls Dorm That Caught Fire
Utumishi Boys was started in 1993 as a mixed school, and a decision was later made to separate.
That question prompted discussions within the police service about gender balance in the provision of education under the Utumishi model.
Mbugua took up the challenge and committed to start the development of a girls’ school by contributing KSh 100,000, followed by fundraising among police officers and stakeholders.
The first funds drive raised KSh 310,000, which was handed to the Utumishi Boys principal. Mbugua then wrote internal communications to regional police commanders, mobilizing nationwide support for the initiative. He also visited all eight regions in the country to mobilize construction of the school.
In September 2018, construction of the school began, and by late 2019, the school infrastructure was completed, including classrooms and boarding facilities.
The institution was then inspected and registered under the Ministry of Education as a formal learning institution. In 2020, Utumishi Girls’ Academy admitted its first cohort of students, with 96 girls.
Utumishi Girls is located within the Utumishi complex in Gilgil, an area previously associated with police training facilities
Formal Opening and Institutional Growth
In July 2021, Utumishi Girls’ Academy was officially opened by then-Deputy Inspector General Edward Mbugua, marking its transition to full operational status.
The school has since expanded steadily, adding new infrastructure to accommodate increasing student numbers and evolving education demands under Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum system.
The school is located within the former African Police Training Center APTC), which is currently the National Police College in Rift Valley.
It is among the schools in the C1 category of the public senior secondary schools under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
Also Read: Utumishi Girls School Captain Pays Emotional Tribute During Requiem Mass [Full Speech]
Construction of Meline Waithera Dormitory
Mbugua also explained the construction of the Meline Waithera Dormitory at Utumishi Girls’ Academy, a dormitory where students died.
According to Mbugua, his daughter, Meline Waithera Njoroge, died in a road accident in Nairobi in June 2021. Following her death, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers contributed money to support funeral arrangements.
After the burial, some money remained from the contributions, and he made a personal and family decision to redirect the money to a development cause rather than retain it for private use.
“My daughter was involved in a road accident in Nairobi, and she died at the scene. My friends and other people contributed to her funeral. After the funeral, I had excess money, and I told my family, this money is going to another cause, we are not going to use the money. So during Harambee, I donated 10 million shillings, part of which was my contribution, and part was the funds which were meant for the funeral of my daughter,” added Mbugua
As part of honoring family contributions and personal legacy, the school’s dormitory block was named after his daughter Meline Waithera. In addition to the dormitory naming, a memorial garden was established near the school compound to preserve her memory within an institution associated with her father’s contributions to public service and education.
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