Government pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu address media outside at the Nakuru County and Referral Hospital morgue on February 24, 2026.
An autopsy has established that Moses Onyoni, a Grade Eight pupil at Nakuru's Moi Comprehensive School, who collapsed and died on Monday, died due to blood circulatory failure.
Onyoni, 14, was pronounced dead on arrival at Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital on Monday morning, after he reportedly collapsed while in class.
The autopsy was conducted on Tuesday evening at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, by government pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu, in the presence of family members and the school board.
Speaking to the press after the post-mortem examination, Dr Ngulungu said that the results showed no evidence of major trauma to the body.
"As a result of my examination, I have formed the opinion that the cause of death was blood circulatory failure, although the specific trigger remains undetermined pending laboratory results. Investigations are ongoing to establish whether any underlying pathological or toxicological factors contributed to the pupil’s death,” revealed Dr Ngulungu.
"The boy suffered blood circulation failure, possibly triggered by fear or stress," further said the pathologist.
Apart from a minor injury to the forehead, which might have been caused by the fall, he said that there were no visible bruises on the head, chest, upper limbs, buttocks, thighs or feet.
"There were no signs of any significant injury. The boy collapsed after blood failed to circulate well in the body," added Dr Ngulungu.
According to the pathologist, the internal examination revealed features consistent with circulatory failure.
However, there were no specific structural or anatomical abnormalities identified that could immediately explain the cause of the circulatory collapse.
During the external examination, he said that deep cyanosis, a sign commonly associated with a lack of oxygen in the body, was observed.
Further internal assessment, however, did not uncover definitive findings to account for the blood circulatory failure.
He said that samples have been collected for further analysis to aid in determining if the learner had any underlying condition.
"A section of the heart tissue has been taken for histological examination, while samples from the stomach, blood, liver and kidneys have been submitted for toxicological analysis," he said.
Dr Ngulungu explained that blood circulatory failure can be caused by a heart problem or major bleeding.
Angry parents wheel a cadaver trolley carrying the body of a Grade Eight pupil into Moi Comprehensive School in Nakuru City on February 23, 2026, after retrieving it from Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital.
According to the deceased's uncle, Mr Vincent Onwong'a, the family has been hit hard by the tragedy, not only because of the loss itself, but also because of the confusion surrounding the events that led to the death.
"The family has accepted the medical findings,though we remain disturbed by the conflicting information about what transpired between the moment the boy arrived at school and the time he was rushed to hospital as well as arrival time at the facility.We have accepted the findings and we embark on burial arrangements," said Onwong'a.
He said Onyoni's father was informed that James had just arrived at school when he collapsed.
However, questions remain over what happened in the minutes leading up to his collapse.
Was he in class? Was he playing on the field? Was he on his own or with other pupils?
These are the questions that the family is still grappling with.
“When Onyoni’s father was called to the school, he was not given a comprehensive explanation. He was reportedly ushered into a meeting, but left without any clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding his son’s collapse," Onwong'a explained.
However, the uncle maintained that the family is not seeking confrontation with the school administration, but clarity. He noted that understanding what happened in Onyoni’s final moments would help ease their pain and bring closure.
“Medical findings indicated that the boy may have suffered circulation failure, possibly triggered by fear or stress. That assessment has only deepened the family’s need for answers, we now want to hear from those who were with him shortly before he collapsed, to understand whether anything may have frightened or distressed him,” he said.
Angry parents wheel a cadaver trolley carrying the body of a Grade Eight pupil into Moi Comprehensive School in Nakuru City on February 23, 2026, after retrieving it from Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital.
The family insists that they are not accusing the school of wrongdoing; they are simply seeking transparency. They believe that knowing the truth, however painful, would help them to begin to heal.
“My brother comes from a humble background and he had really tried to educate his son by bringing him to the best school in Nakuru county. It is unfortunate he has died. I believe if we do not get clear information from the school surrounding his death we won’t fight, if the government or legal fraternity cannot help us get the truth, we will leave it to God because he is the one who knows what happened,” he said.
Moi Comprehensive School head teacher Caroline Chebe address media at the Nakuru County and Referral Hospital morgue on February 24, 2026. She refuted claims that Moses Joseph Onyoni was assaulted and said he collapsed in class and the incident was reported at Nakuru Showground police post.
The school head teacher, Ms Caroline Chebe, said that the learner was pronounced dead at 10:10 am and the matter was reported at the Showground police post at around 12 pm.
According to Ms Chebe, before the incident, Onyoni's teacher noted that some learners were inside the class, while others were outside, and yet it was class time.
Onyoni was among those outside.
She said the teacher asked them to go to class, and while inside, she asked those who were outside to step forward and started questioning each of them why they were outside. Before he could reach the third learner, Onyoni collapsed.
She said that the teacher picked him and rushed to the school nurse, but before reaching the sick bay, the school deputy intervened and noted that the minor was gasping for breath.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
“The teacher came to my office and informed me that a pupil had been rushed to the hospital. Immediately I left with the other two teachers and we followed them. We immediately called the mother and father. It is a very sad situation that befell the school, we are sorry for the family for whatever happened in the school. His father usually supplies vegetables to the school there is no way we could hurt the minor placed under our care,” he said.
The school board chairman, Bernard Chweya, said that Onyoni had been examined by medics who had pronounced him dead.
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