On the evening of Sunday 15, 2024, Ms Jacinta Ndiege received a call from Friends School Kamusinga. She was informed that her son, a Form Two student, had been involved in an accident.
The caller, who introduced himself as Mr Wekesa, told Ms Ndiege that he was her son's class teacher and that the boy had fallen into a septic tank.
On further interrogations, the class teacher allegedly informed Ms Ndiege that her son had intentionally jumped into the septic tank.
The student, identified as John Mark, was rushed to Kimilili Sub County Hospital but later transferred to Bungoma Life Care Hospital, a private facility, since his condition had worsened.
The teacher however assured Ms Ndiege that her son was in a stable state and there was no cause for alarm.
However, the distressed mother, who resides in Kisumu County, was not convinced. She quickly closed down her business and rushed home, packed a few items, and set off for Bungoma County.
“I left the house in the company of my daughter for Friends School Kamusinga,” explained Ms Ndiege. She arrived at the school the following morning.
Ms Ndiege once again reached out to the class teacher to seek an update and to ask for directions to the private facility where her son was reportedly receiving treatment.
At the facility, she inquired from the reception the whereabouts of her son but the woman was reluctant to speak.
“One of the workers finally gathered courage and told me that my son's body had been moved to the hospital's mortuary. I rushed there only to be met by my son’s lifeless body,” said Ms Ndiege amid sobs.
“Seeing him dead left me heartbroken, the assurance from the teacher had kept my hopes high. I was looking forward to meeting him alive."
The hospital later advised Ms Ndiege to report the matter to the police since she had requested the administration to allow her to transfer the body to Kisumu.
She went to Kimilili Police Station where she met the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) handling the death.
The officer investigating the case reportedly informed Ms Ndiege that preliminary investigations suggested that the boy died by suicide.
“He made it clear that my son had jumped into the septic tank with the intention to end his life,” said Ms Ndiege.
However, she said she was not convinced by the explanation.
She instead demanded to be taken to the school to see where her son is alleged to have jumped into the septic tank.
At the school, the family was met by the deputy head teacher whose narration was similar to that of the DCI.
While at the scene, Ms Ndiege disclosed that she sought permission to talk to some of the learners who were milling around.
"The students had a different version of the story. They explained that my son slipped and fell into the septic tank," she said.
The students, according to Ms Ndiege, said that her son was in the company of other students who had queued to use the toilets on Sunday afternoon when a teacher appeared and chased them away.
"While running away from the teacher, John slipped and fell into the open septic tank. The learners tried to rescue him, but it was too late," Ms Ndiege explained.
Upon being pulled out of the pit, he was rushed to Kimilili Sub County Hospital.
“The open septic tank was covered with iron sheets with nothing else to protect the learners from falling inside. This is enough indication of negligence. My son did not die by suicide,” said Ms Ndiege.
“The school should come clean and accept that it did not do due diligence of ensuring the learners stayed in a safe environment. Had the tank been sealed, my son would not have died."
Mr Evans Ndiega, an uncle of the deceased student, also claimed there are gaps in the documentation of his nephew's details at the mortuary where they found his body.
Mr Ndiega said the two versions of the story from the teachers and students left a lot of question marks and suspicion on the circumstances surrounding his nephew's death.
“We have also learnt that he was never taken to Kimilili Sub County Hospital as alleged earlier. He was rushed to a private hospital. The Bungoma Life Care Facility also confirmed that the clothes he wore were from a private hospital,” said Mr Ndiega.
Before schools opened for the third term, John Mark had promised his mother to work hard and improve his academic performance.
“All we want is justice for our son and I hope justice will be served. We bring our children and pay all the required fees, just to keep them safe in school. The system has failed us,” said the distraught mother.
In a statement, the school's Board of Management (BOM) said the student fell in the school septic tank on September 15 and was rushed to Kimilili Sub County Hospital.
The statement further indicated that he was later transferred to Bungoma Life Care Hospital where he died the same day while receiving treatment.
“Investigations by the Ministry of Health are currently ongoing. On behalf of the students and staff, I wish to convey our sincere condolences to the family,” said Prof Moses Poipoi, the school's BOM chair.
Meanwhile, postmortem results have revealed that the boy died from asphyxia suffocation from toxic gas.
