At least 17 pupils have died after a fire ripped through their school dormitory overnight in central Kenya, police said.

The blaze in Nyeri countys Hillside Endarasha Academy broke out at around midnight, police said, engulfing a dormitory where the children were sleeping.

There are 17 fatalities from this incident and there are also others who were taken to hospital with serious injuries, said national police spokesperson Resila Onyango.

Police did not release the ages of the victims.

The bodies recovered at the scene were burnt beyond recognition, she said.

Several others were injured, Onyango said, 16 of them seriously, and had been rushed to a nearby hospital.

More bodies are likely to be recovered once (the) scene is fully processed, she said.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, she said, but an investigation had been launched. (AFP)