On Friday, October 18, 2024, 14-year-old Angeline Kirigo spoke to her parents on her class teacher's mobile phone.
She was in high spirits, talking about an upcoming celebration; her sister had just graduated from Strathmore University, and they were discussing having a family reunion after breaking for the December holiday in two days.
Little did the girl and her family know that this would be their last conversation. In a shocking turn of events that has since left the family devastated, the Form One student of Mahiga Girls' High School died under mysterious circumstances in the early hours of Saturday after reportedly falling ill.
More than a week later, the family is seeking answers as to how Angeline met her death.
“That evening she was jovial. She spoke to her sister and I can remember so many times they said ‘I love you’ to each other, and that they would meet in a few days. She did not complain of any sickness,” said Kinyua Kande, her father.
Ms Gladys Muchire, said she received a call from the school at 2.30am on Saturday, with the caller informing her that her daughter was very sick and needed medical attention.
In a panic, she rushed to the school and when she got there, she was informed that her daughter had been rushed to Othaya Level 4 Sub-County Hospital.
They were told that the girl was “not badly off” but Ms Jecinta Mwangi, a relative who accompanied the mother, said they found Angeline dead.
“When I got to the bed where she was lying, Angeline was covered. I asked the doctor why they were not attending to her and he said she was brought in dead and they couldn’t touch her,” Ms Mwangi said.
She questions why the girl was taken to hospital in a private car and not the school bus or an ambulance.
The late Mahiga Girls' High School Form One student Angeline Kirigo (centre) with her parents during a school visit.
Photo credit: Pool
“If she was in a critical condition, why was she taken to Level 4 hospital and not Othaya KNH Annex hospital which is Level 6? She would have received better medical care in a level 6 than a level 4. It’s like they knew she was already dead,” said a distraught Ms Mwangi.
The hospitals are adjacent to each other and according to a text shared by the Parent Teachers Association(PTA) chair in the school’s official WhatsApp group, at around 2.30am, a fellow student noticed something was wrong with Angeline in the dormitory and alerted the matron who notified the principal.
The principal, Franciscar Wahome, mobilised her two deputies who took the girl to Othaya hospital at around 4am on Saturday.
But relatives who showed up at the scene said they found Angeline dead. They are now questioning whether their relative died at the school or in the hospital, alleging a cover-up.
“I requested the doctor to write a letter explaining the condition that Angeline was in when she was brought to the hospital but he refused insisting that she was not alive at the time of arrival and that I should ask the teacher,” Ms Mwangi added.
Nation.Africa reached out to Ms Wahome for a comment but she was unavailable as calls on her mobile phone went unanswered.
The WhatsApp text shared on Monday morning further reads: “The late Angeline had been unwell since 8th September 2024, when she was picked up from school by her parents and taken to hospital. After treatment, she was taken back to school. On October 15, 2024, her parents picked her up from school again and took her to the hospital and later returned to school.”
“I learned the details about the death of my daughter through a WhatsApp text like other people two days after the incident. I tried to reach out to the principal for concrete information but in vain,” said Mr Kinyua, as he called for a speedy investigation into the death.
He added, “As much as I cannot reverse the death of my daughter, I should have full information about her death. I want to know what happened from Friday night when she spoke to her mother to the last point.”
An OB NO 5/19/10/2024 report at the Munyange Police Station shows that the school administration reported the matter on Saturday morning.
According to Nyeri South sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer Frank Mnene, investigations are ongoing to establish the deceased’s cause of death.
In a letter, Mnene ordered the hospital not to release the body to the family for burial until a post-mortem examination is conducted.
“This office therefore requests you not to release the body before a post-mortem is conducted under the supervision of police officers," the letter, dated October 25, 2024, reads in part.
