A family in Njoro, Nakuru County, is accusing the administration of Njoro Girls Senior School of negligence following the death of their daughter, a Form Four student who reportedly fell ill while at school and failed to receive timely medical attention.
Brenda Akinyi, 18, died last Saturday at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, where she had been rushed for treatment by her mother after her condition deteriorated while she was still at school.
According to her mother, Millicent Anyango, she received a distressing phone call from Akinyi’s brother, Allan Otieno, who worked at the institution as a casual labourer. Otieno informed her that he had been told Akinyi was sick.
Ms Anyango said Otieno revealed that some students had told him Akinyi had been unwell and had been sleeping in the dormitory for the past three days. They advised her to go and pick her up.
The students alleged that despite Akinyi’s persistent illness and repeated complaints, no urgent action was taken by the school administration to ensure she received proper medical care.
Portrait of Brenda Akinyi,18, a Form Four student who died at Njoro Girls’ Senior School under mysterious circumstances.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Before leaving her house, Ms Anyango said she had tried calling Akinyi’s class teacher twice, but he had not answered. She assumed he was in class. The teacher called back about 30 minutes later.
“Instead of explaining my daughter’s condition, he started interrogating me on who had given me the information, saying it should only come from the school nurse or the deputy principal,” she said.
Ms Anyango said she later went to the deputy principal’s office and informed him of her intention to pick up her sick daughter. She claimed the deputy principal became furious upon learning that the information had come from a casual labourer. Otieno was later dismissed from his job.
She said the deputy principal sent a student to fetch Akinyi from the dormitory. By then, Akinyi was dizzy and unable to speak.
“She was trying to tell me something, but she was too weak to speak or walk. I carried her myself and we left immediately,” she said.
Akinyi was first rushed to Njoro sub-County Hospital, where she received initial treatment before being referred to Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital for further care.
At the referral hospital, doctors conducted tests and established that she had a blood infection. She was admitted but later died while receiving treatment.
Millicent Anyango (centre) and some of her relatives hold the portrait of her daughter Brenda Akinyi, a Njoro Girls Form Four student who died while undergoing treatment at the institution.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“She complained that she was sick while in school, but nothing was done in good time. We were only called when her condition had worsened. By the time she was taken to hospital, it was already an emergency. My daughter died in my hands. We believe this death could have been prevented. The school has not told us anything,” Ms Anyango said.
She added that she had been with her daughter on January 23 during a parents’ meeting and that Akinyi appeared healthy and did not complain of any illness.
The grieving family described Akinyi as a disciplined and hardworking student who was looking forward to sitting her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations later this year.
“She promised me she would do well in her KCSE. She was aiming for a mean grade of B-plus, to join a university and pursue journalism,” Ms Anyango said.
Residents of Njoro in Nakuru County on February 2, 2026, protest as they mourn the mysterious death of Brenda Akinyi,18, a Form Four student at Njoro Girls Senior School.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi|Nation Media Group
She maintained that her daughter had no underlying medical condition, apart from an eye problem she had had since Form One, for which she had spectacles.
“She was healthy when she went back to school. We were even planning to change her lenses during half-term. She was our hope, and now she is gone,” she said.
News of Akinyi’s death spread quickly across Njoro Sub-county, triggering anger among residents who accused the school of failing in its duty of care.
On Monday, tension escalated as members of the community attempted to storm the school, demanding an explanation from the administration. Police officers were deployed to prevent the destruction of property.
“The community is deeply disturbed. People want answers. If a student complains of illness and is ignored, then that is negligence. We cannot allow such things to continue,” said one resident who participated in the protests.
Akinyi’s body is currently at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, awaiting a postmortem examination scheduled for Tuesday.
A resident of Njoro, Nakuru County, protests on February 2, 2026, while mourning the death of Brenda Akinyi, 18, a Form Four student at Njoro Girls Senior School, who died at the institution while undergoing treatment.
Photo credit: Bonface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
However, Nakuru County Director of Education Vitoria Mulili contradicted the family’s account syying Akinyi had been sick for years and had an underlying medical condition.
Ms Mulili said that on the day Akinyi first complained of a headache, she was attended to by the school nurse, given medicationand returned to class. She later attended morning remedial class before retiring to bed.
On January 29, Akinyi again visited the school nurse, complaining of a headache and was given ibuprofen. Her condition later worsened, prompting her parents to pick her up from school.
“To the best of our knowledge, there was no negligence. The school did what it could. The girl used to go home almost twice a week, where her parents would pick her and return her after she felt better,” Ms Mulili said.
She added that a quality assurance team had been dispatched to investigate the matter and had already submitted a report to the Ministry of Education headquarters.
