Today in Africa — May 28, 2027: School Fire Kills 16 Students in Kenya, U.S. Deportation Deal in Equatorial Guinea Raises New Human Rights Concerns

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On May 28, coverage includes: a deadly dormitory fire at a Kenyan girls’ boarding school that killed at least 16 students and renewed scrutiny over school safety standards; an investigation revealing that asylum seekers deported from the U.S. are being detained inside a luxury hotel in Equatorial Guinea under a controversial third-country agreement.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletter Editor
Parents and guardians gather outside Utumishi Girls Academy beside a school wall and crest in Gilgil, Kenya.
Parents and guardians walk outside the Utumishi Girls Academy following the deadly fire in Gilgil, north of the capital Nairobi, today, Thursday, May 28, 2026.

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening on the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

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At Least 16 Students Killed in Kenya Boarding School Fire

At least 16 students were killed and 79 others injured after a fire tore through a girls’ boarding school dormitory in central Kenya early this morning, Thursday, May 28. The blaze broke out just after midnight at Utumishi Girls School in Gilgil and burned for more than two hours, with authorities saying the cause remains under investigation. The school, which has more than 800 students and is managed by the Kenya Police Service, is the latest in a series of deadly school fires that have raised concerns about safety standards in Kenyan boarding schools.

What Authorities Are Investigating:

 • Education officials say investigators are reviewing whether the school followed required fire safety procedures.

• A first responder says several survivors claimed a student may have set a mattress on fire using a match, though officials urge the public not to speculate.

• Most of the injured students have already been discharged from the hospital, according to authorities.

• The Kenya Red Cross deployed tracing and psychosocial support teams to assist students and families affected by the fire.

• Kenya recorded more than 100 school fires in 2024, with overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and student unrest often cited as contributing factors.

Equatorial Guinea Hotel Used to Detain Asylum Seekers Deported From the U.S.

Equatorial Guinea is holding asylum seekers deported from the U.S. inside a luxury hotel owned by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s family, according to a new Associated Press investigation. Under a reported $7.5 million third-country deportation agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, at least 32 people from countries including Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Mauritania have been detained at the Bamy Hotel since late last year, despite previously being granted protection by U.S. judges. Former detainees say they have faced intense pressure to return to countries where they fear persecution or death, while rights groups warn the deportations are exploiting legal loopholes by sending migrants to third countries with poor human rights records.

What the Investigation Found:

 • Twenty-five detainees have already been deported from Equatorial Guinea back to African countries they previously fled, according to the report.

• Detainees said they were not physically abused but described severe psychological distress, poor medical care, and pressure from officials to leave voluntarily.

• One detainee said a police officer suggested he jump from the hotel’s fourth floor if he wanted his problems to end.

• Representatives from the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations refugee agency reportedly visited the hotel once in November but never returned there.

• Equatorial Guinea has no formal asylum system and has long faced accusations of corruption, arbitrary detention, torture, and repression under President Obiang’s government.

WHO Rushes Ebola Supplies and Testing to Eastern DR Congo as Outbreak Worsens

The World Health Organization says it is expanding Ebola testing and laboratory capacity in the Democratic Republic of Congo as health workers struggle to contain a fast-growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain. Congo has now recorded more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths, while neighboring Uganda has confirmed seven cases and one death. Medical teams in eastern Congo are battling severe supply shortages, attacks on treatment centers, weak infrastructure, armed conflict, and deep community mistrust, all while trying to track and isolate potential infections. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Congo today, Thursday, May 28, as aid shipments from the European Union and the United Nations began arriving in Ituri province, the center of the outbreak.

What Health Officials Are Watching:

 • WHO says the outbreak has reached 1,077 suspected cases, including 121 confirmed cases and 246 suspected deaths.

• Aid workers in Bunia and nearby towns reported using expired masks and operating nearly empty emergency treatment centers because of supply shortages.

• At least three attacks have targeted health facilities in Ituri province as some residents resist Ebola burial protocols and deny the disease exists.

• WHO and humanitarian agencies say flight restrictions, bad roads, customs delays, and poor telecommunications are slowing response efforts.

• Tedros has called for a ceasefire in eastern Congo, warning that ongoing fighting and mass displacement are making it harder to contain the outbreak.

In Brief: More Stories Today

South Africa’s Parliament Sets Date for Ramaphosa Impeachment Inquiry

South Africa’s parliament will hold the first meeting on Monday, June 1, of the impeachment committee investigating President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala “Farmgate” scandal. Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing in the case, which centers on cash stolen from a sofa at his farm in 2020, while opposition parties say the Constitutional Court’s recent ruling has revived momentum behind the impeachment process.

Burkina Faso Suspends Major Student Union and Arrests Leader

Burkina Faso’s military government has suspended the country’s largest student union, Ugeb, for three months and arrested its president, Wilfried Bazo, along with several students. Authorities accused the group of “advocating terrorism” after it criticized the junta over alleged abductions, restrictions on freedoms, and worsening insecurity linked to jihadist violence.

Nearly 300 Ghanaians Return Home From South Africa Amid Xenophobia Fears

A chartered flight carrying 297 Ghanaians from South Africa arrived in Accra yesterday, Wednesday, May 27, as anti-immigrant tensions continue to rise. Ghana says around 800 citizens have requested repatriation following protests targeting undocumented migrants, with some returnees saying they no longer feel safe staying in South Africa.

Kenya Approves U.S. Ebola Quarantine Facility Plan

Kenya has reportedly approved a U.S. request to open a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to the Ebola outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The facility would be located at an air force base in central Kenya and staffed by members of the U.S. Public Health Service, though officials have not confirmed whether it would also accept non-Americans.

South African Groups Reject Trump’s Afrikaner “Refugee Emergency” Claim

South African officials and Afrikaner advocacy groups have rejected claims by the Trump administration that white Afrikaners face a humanitarian emergency. The response comes after the U.S. announced plans to admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans as refugees, despite having sharply restricted refugee admissions from most other countries.

South Africa Seizes Massive Drug Shipment at Zimbabwe Border

South African authorities say they intercepted a truck carrying more than 700 kilograms (about 1,545 lbs) of methaqualone, used to make the drug Mandrax, near the Zimbabwe border. Three people — two Malawians and one Zambian — were arrested in connection with the shipment, which officials say had an estimated street value of nearly one billion rand.

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