A government pathologist handling the post-mortem on the body of a Form One student at Chemase Secondary School, who died last weekend after allegedly being caned by his teachers, has taken samples to the Government Chemist for further analysis.
The post-mortem will determine what exactly killed Kevin Kiptanui, 16, whose death has caused a public uproar, with speculation that it might have been the result of the caning.
On Thursday, North Rift Government Pathologist Simon Omuok collected samples from Kiptanui’s body at the Nandi Hills Hospital mortuary and took them to the Government Chemist in Nairobi for further analysis.
Monica Jerobon, Kevin Kiptanui’s mother.
Photo credit: Tom Matoke | Nation Media Group
It happened as it emerged that the boy had mentioned receiving 22 strokes of the cane before he died at Nandi Hills Level Four Hospital, his mother told the Nation team.
Dr Omuko arrived at the mortuary at 10am and stayed for six hours. Hundreds of anxious members of the community and Kiptanui’s relatives had camped at the Nandi Hills Hospital on Thursday as the pathologist collected the samples, hoping he would reveal the results right after.
He emerged to tell journalists who had also been camping at the facility that some parts of the boy’s body had challenges, without giving details, noting that he did not want to pre-empt the investigations being headed by Nandi County Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Douglas Chikanda.
“The cause of Kevin’s death remains unknown and we are taking samples from his body to the Government Chemist in Nairobi for further investigation. I urge the family and public to be patient as we do this,” he said.
Kiptanui’s family and the local community had demanded an independent investigation, fearing that the investigation could be tampered with to favour the teachers implicated.
Kiptanui, who was a new student at the school, died at 11am on Saturday, March 4, at Nandi Hills Level Four Hospital, where he was taken with complications following the beating at school on Friday, March 3. His mother said he had been in perfect health before then.
However, the pathologist specialist did not reveal how long it would take to release the results, only stating that they will be communicated to the family and school at a later date.
The student was first received at Chepsese Dispensary before he was referred to Nandi Hills Hospital, with the former citing internal injuries. His mother claimed he had narrated how his two teachers had beaten him after he was found cheating in a physics test.
Mr Chikanda assured anxious members of the community that his team will get to the bottom of the matter.
The two teachers have not been arrested and investigations are ongoing, with the school board having summoned them to appear on Monday for questioning, with a written account of what transpired. The teachers are said to have gone underground after the incident, fearing mob justice from angry members of the local community.
Kiptanui’s mother Monicah Jerobon told reporters at the hospital that she hired a boda boda at Sh1,000 to take her son to Nandi Hills Hospital, some 40km from Chepsese Dispensary.
The single mother of four said her first-born child did not have any health complications and was very active.
The family has planned his burial for Tuesday, March 14.
His school, through principal Martin Masika, has committed to help with the burial expenses.
The school, which was closed on Monday, will reopen on March 20.
