This archive report was first published on 14 November 2019.
Student Dies After Chemistry Practical, Family Suspects Chemical Exposure ¶
Victor Kiptoo, an 18-year-old KCSE candidate from Majani Mingi village in Rongai, Nakuru County, died on his way to hospital after complaining of chest pains and difficulty breathing.
The cause of death has not been established, but the family suspects that it may be related to the chemicals used in the chemistry practical exam at Barina Mixed Day Secondary School.
According to his father, Mr. David Ng'eno, Victor complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing when he returned home on Friday evening.
Mr. Ng'eno said he took pain killers that were in the house but did not improve.
"When he left for school that morning he was in good health and ready for the exams but when he came back he looked sickly," he said.
Victor's condition worsened over time, and his father took him to a nearby dispensary for blood pressure and sugar level tests, but these did not reveal what he was suffering from.
The facility referred him to Mogotio Sub-county Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mr. Ng'eno has asked for the government's help in providing a pathologist to establish the cause of his son's death.
Victor was a disciplined and hardworking student who wanted to become a doctor.
"I had much faith in him," his father said.
It is worth noting that Victor had been diagnosed with pneumonia in September and was still under medication at the time of his death.
His uncle, Mr. Ibrahim Silatei, acknowledged this but said the family suspected that his death was triggered by the chemicals.
"Even though he appeared healthy, he was still under medication. It is possible that the chemicals he was exposed to at school triggered the condition," he said.
Several students from the school have complained of headaches, and a student from St Peters Kajulu Secondary was admitted to Kombewa Sub-county Hospital on Friday after the chemical exploded, causing her to sustain serious burns.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet) has threatened to sue the ministry and Knech for allowing the use of a dangerous chemical.
Published on November 14, 2019, at 12:49:09 PM EAT.
