Students and teachers at Kapsoya Secondary School in Eldoret are yet to come to terms with the tragic death of a Form Four candidate who was shot dead last month during the anti-Finance Bill protests.
Credo Oyaro, 17, was to sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in October.
His dream of becoming a professional footballer was cut short by a gunshot to the head on June 25 near Timba XO club after looters stormed the entertainment spot.
According to family members and friends, Oyaro was shot outside the club as he watched the battle between police and the looters.
The teenager was rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
“As a school, we are still shocked. Oyaro was one of our best students and one of the most disciplined. We can’t join the dots to establish circumstances leading to his shooting,” said the school principal, Martha Maiyo.
She said the school's counseling department is still having counseling sessions with close friends of the deceased student.
“Our students, especially those who were close to the deceased, are yet to come to terms with what happened to their friend,” said Ms Maiyo.
According to the principal, the deceased was a member of the school's football and basketball teams.
According to Oyaro’s close friend, Corduroy Kinoti, they were together on the day of the incident.
“We were standing at the perimeter wall near Toyota Kenya as we watched police battle with the looters at Timba XO. A police officer shot Oyaro from Timba XO since we were standing outside the club,” he said.
The deceased lost his mother at the tender age of three years, leaving his under the care of his grandmother. He would have celebrated his 17th birthday on September 22.
Oyaro was laid to rest on July 7 at her mother’s rural home in Mahanda Arude village, Yala Sub-County in Siaya County.
The deceased student lived with his 62-year-old grandmother, Beatrice Akinyi Omolo, in Sugunanga estate in Kesses constituency, Uasin Gishu County.
His grandmother recalled that on the fateful day, Oyaro had planned to join his teammates to practice for a football match at Sugunanga sports ground.
She received the shocking news of the shooting of her grandson from a neighbour who told her that Oyaro had been shot by police near Timba XO.
“The doctors assured me that they were doing everything to save my grandson’s life. But the following day I went back to the hospital only to be told my grandson succumbed to injuries,” the tearful grandmother said.
Ms Omolo said she had so much in hopes in her grandson. She described him as a polite, honest, and industrious boy who had maintained an excellent academic record from childhood.
“My grandson loved education very much. I don't understand why the police killed such an innocent boy. God will avenge me,” said the distraught grandmother.
The grandmother now wants the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (Ipoa) to investigate the matter so that the family can get justice.
She said the family settled the medical bills and mortuary fees at MTRH through the help of young Kenyans.
“We thank Hanifa and Gen Z friends for helping us to settle the hospital bills and mortuary fee,” said Ms Omolo.
The hospital received more than 60 casualties, and four of them succumbed to injuries.
MTRH Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Philip Kirwa, said all four bodies were identified and collected by relatives for burial.
"There are no uncollected bodies in our hospital mortuary. All bodies have been identified and collected by relatives," said Dr Kirwa.
He also said only one of the 61 victims was still admitted at the hospital, with the rest having been treated and discharged.
However, a lobby group in Eldoret wants the hospital to make public a report of all the protesters who succumbed to gunshot injuries at the facility.
“There are question marks on the actual number of gunshot wound victims at the hospital. The hospital must come out clearly to shed light on what happened during the demos in Eldoret town on June 25,” said Mr Kimutai Kurui of Centre Against Torture.
