Shock and grief as three-year-old dies at Nakuru School

A family in Nakuru is grappling with the devastating loss of their three-year-old son, who died under unclear circumstances at Gilgil Hills Academy, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and conflicting accounts.

For Jane Mwangi, the boy’s mother, the ordeal began with a distressing phone call from her husband, informing her that their child had fallen ill and had been rushed to Gilgil Hospital.

Alarmed, she immediately questioned why the school had failed to follow prior instructions to take the child to either St Mark Hospital or Komboni Hospital whenever he became sick.

Seeking clarity, she contacted the class teacher, who explained that her son Faiz Faraji had developed a fever and appeared weak, prompting a hurried trip to hospital. But before she could process that explanation, a second call from her husband delivered a far more devastating version of events — their son had allegedly fallen into a fish pond within the school compound and died.

“I want to know where the teachers were when my child fell into that pond. What is their responsibility?” Nwangi asked, her grief turning into urgent demands for accountability.

The boy’s father, Faraji Ibrahim, recounted receiving a call at around 1:51pm from a teacher reporting that his son had a fever. He said the child had been in perfect health when he left for school that morning. Unable to leave immediately, he instructed the school to contact a relative who lived nearby.

Shortly afterward, the school principal called him with a different account, saying the boy had fallen into a pond but had only suffered minor injuries. Within minutes, however, the narrative shifted again. The principal called back to report that the child had died.

“The school made a mistake. I had clearly instructed them where to take my child when sick,” Ibrahim said, questioning the sequence of events and the apparent contradictions in the information provided.

The inconsistencies have deepened the family’s anguish. According to the child’s uncle, Dickson Ndirangu, the class teacher initially claimed the boy had been taken to hospital due to illness and left there without notifying the parents — a claim he found troubling.

“I kept asking myself, what kind of teacher leaves a sick child in hospital and goes back to school without informing the parents?” he said. “Then the principal tells us the child drowned. Who do we believe?”

Ndirangu also cast doubt on the drowning explanation, noting that the child’s body appeared clean despite reports that the pond water was dirty. He said the family’s observations did not align with the school’s account of events.

The school head Joseph Kihato expressed condolences, describing the incident as a tragic loss for the institution. He said the boy, a playgroup pupil, was found in the school’s fish pond and that staff attempted to save his life.

“We tried to resuscitate him and rushed him to Gilgil Sub-County Hospital, but unfortunately, we lost him,” Kihato said, adding that the school would cooperate fully with investigations.

A post-mortem conducted by pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu concluded that the child died from aspiratory asphyxia, indicating that water had entered his lungs — a finding consistent with drowning. The report also indicated that there were no external injuries on the body.

Despite this, the family has rejected the findings, insisting they do not match what they witnessed. The father claimed that no water was found in the child’s stomach during the examination, raising further doubts in their minds.

“We want a thorough investigation. The principal and the class teacher must be questioned — they know what happened to our child,” Ndirangu said.

The case has also drawn attention to the school’s past. In December last year, the Court of Appeal of Kenya dismissed an appeal by the school in a separate case involving the death of a 13-year-old pupil.

In the case, the courts upheld a High Court ruling that found the school negligent in the medical care provided to the learner, who died after complaining of illness over several days.

Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Gilgil Hills Academy Limited, upholding findings that the school was negligent in the medical care provided to Linda Chepkorir Koech, a Class Seven boarder who died in July 2008.

The court emphasized that when parents entrust their children to a school, the institution assumes full responsibility for their safety and well-being.

It upheld an award of more than Sh2 million in damages to the child’s family, reinforcing the legal expectation that schools must act promptly and responsibly in matters of student health.