Pupil fights for life after suicide attempt

By Peter Atsiaya

Uasin Gishu County

A pupil is fighting for his life in hospital after he allegedly attempted to commit suicide for being forced to repeat Class Seven.

The boy is said to have walked out of Marula Primary School in Uasin Gishu County yesterday at around 11am and took poison at their home, about 200m from the school.

The pupil’s father, Mr Manyara Kibagendi, who works at the neighbouring Chepkoilel University College, was informed of the incident by a neighbour and rushed the boy to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital where he is admitted.

"My son has been frustrated by the school’s teachers. He took poison out of anger and I blame the school for this," Mr Kibagendi told The Standard at the hospital.

When The Standard team visited the school, head teacher Maria Kemboi denied they forced any pupil to repeat class.

Ms Kemboi, however, said they had requested his father to have him repeat to improve his performance before sitting the national examination.

Performance

Kibagendi demanded that the school should cater for the medical expenses because they were responsible for the pupil’s predicament.

"I was called to the school by the head teacher and told my son would not sit his Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination examinations because he got low marks and they wanted him to repeat Class Seven," said Kibagendi.

He added: "But when I communicated the message to my son he was not happy and walked out of the school in protest. Little did I know he would attempt to take his life over the matter."

At the hospital a security guard attempted to confiscate a camera belonging to The Standard photographer Peter Ochieng after he found him taking pictures of the pupil.

The officer pulled Mr Ochieng out of the outpatients’ wing before forcing him out of the hospital. A doctor said the boy was in stable condition.

Last month, Education PS James ole Kiyiapi said repetition of class amounts to abuse of pupils’ rights in the education system and principals who allow this to happen will be held accountable.

The PS directed Provincial Directors of Education and DEOs to ensure such cases do not happen within their jurisdiction. The Government has termed acts of expelling or forcing weak students to repeat unprofessional. Recently, the Government ordered two schools in Gucha to rescind a decision to force students to repeat classes.

Nyamache District Education Officer Peter Njoroge said the management at St Theresa’s Nyangusu Girls Secondary School and Bokinibanto Primary School had been directed to allow students proceed to the next classes.