Nursery pupil killed in Homa Bay, two injured as classroom wall collapses

Residents of Rangwe constituency visit a scene at Nyachar ECDE centre where a five-year-old pupil was killed while two others sustained serious injuries after their classroom collapsed. The classroom is said to have been in dilapidated state.(James Moro, Standard)

An Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) pupil died while two others sustained serious injuries after their classroom walls collapsed in Homa Bay County.

The five-year-old girl identified as Scovia Achieng of Nyachar ECDE center in Rangwe constituency died while receiving medication at Rangwe sub-county hospital.

The pupil's death has brought into question the poor state of ECDE learning facilities in the county. 

Early childhood is a devolved function and county governments are allocated huge amounts of money to improve per-primary classrooms across the counties.

On Tuesday, police and education officials said Scovia met her death in class with her 55 colleagues on Monday evening following a downpour.  It has emerged that the tragedy struck late in the evening as pupils could not go home early due to bad weather.

The pupils were learning in a mabati shack, partitioned with earth walls.  Eyewitnesses said it is one of the partitions that collapsed burying the pupils in a mound.

Nyachar primary school head teacher Eliud Ochanda, whose institution hosts the ECDE centre, said the minor was hit by a portion of the wall.

The minor sustained serious injuries on various parts of the body.

“I was called from class by some pupils. I went to the scene and found the girl writhing in pain before I rushed her to Rangwe sub county hospital,” said Ochanda.

Two other pupils also sustained serious injuries and were admitted at Homa Bay County Referral where they are receiving medication.

Ochanda said the children aged five and four years suffered injuries on the legs and other parts of the body.

He said the classroom walls collapsed after being in a dilapidated state for long.

“The incident occurred after it rained heavily on Sunday night with the classrooms in a pathetic state,” he added.

Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo accused Homa Bay county government of laxity in construction of ECDE classrooms in her constituency.

Gogo claimed that many ECDE centres in Rangwe Constituency were in poor state, a situation which predisposed pupils to risks of being killed when the classrooms collapse.

“ECDE centres in Rangwe Constituency are in pathetic conditions. This kind of a disaster may occur in other centers,”  Gogo said.

She called on the county government to construct ECDE centers for safety of pupils in the area.

The MP wondered many ECDE centres in poor state yet it was a devolved function with its own budget.

"We cannot allow this to happen again. As a mother I challenge the county government to ensure our children are safe," she said.

Gogo told the county to re-construct the classrooms in two weeks to enable the pupils resume learning.

Tuesday morning, parents flocked the school to search for their children’s belongings that remained in the rubble.

The County Director in charge of ECDE Peter Ogola said the county will provide emergency funds from disaster management kitty to construct the classrooms.

 “I am liaising with our county disaster management department so that new classrooms are constructed to enable pupils resume their studies,” said Ogola.

He said they were making plans to improve classrooms in the county.