Arnesen’s High School closed after death of Form One student

Arnesen’s High School in Uasin Gishu County has been closed indefinitely following the death of a Form One student in what parents and residents suspect could be due to Covid-19.

There was tension at the school on Sunday morning with anti-riot police officers deployed after the learners threatened to go on strike over the incident.

However, the school and other stakeholders met and agreed to shut the learning centre.

Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Stephen Kihara confirmed the incident but declined to say whether the death was due to Covid-19 or not.

“I am aware of the matter but I cannot confirm whether it was Covid-19 or not. We leave that to the professionals,” said Mr Kihara, who also co-chairs Covid-19 response team in the devolved unit.

A source at the learning institution said that the Form One student had gone to the school’s sanatorium in the company of other students.

Foam

“He was nose bleeding and there was foam from his mouth. He was alone in the hall and one of the school workers found him alone. The student was rushed to hospital but died after 15 minutes of efforts to resuscitate him failed,” added the source at the school.

Some parents appealed to the government to step up efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

"We urge the government to carry out mass testing. We suspect it could be Covid-19 but we want to know what happened to the boy before the students report back," said Sarah Kihika, a parent at the school.

A meeting has been scheduled on Wednesday this week to decide when the learners will report back to the school.

In the last one week, some students at the school complained of chest pains and headache and had gone for treatment at Burnt Forest hospital.

Chilly weather

In recent weeks, parts of the North Region such as Uasin Gishu and Baringo counties have witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases following the chilly weather reported in the parts of the region.

However, school reports indicate the student had not complained of any medical problem.

The body of the student was taken to Race Course Health Centre where the post mortem is expected to be undertaken to establish the cause of the death.

"We don't know what the cause of the death was. But we are waiting for the post-mortem," said the source familiar with the matter.

Some locals at Burnt Forest trading centre complained that trucks parked opposite the school should be banned from parking along the busy Eldoret-Nakuru road.

“We have long –distance truck drivers who make stop-overs at this trading centre. We want to have them designated to other places to protect locals and learners,” said Peter Kairu, one of the residents.