An autopsy report released on September 17, 2024, by the Life Care Hospital in Bungoma, revealed that John Mark Ombok, a student at Friends School Kamusinga (FSK) died due to insufficient oxygen resulting from inhaling toxic fumes.
According to a statement released by the Board of Management Chair, Ombok was reported to have fallen into a septic tank within the school and lost his life at Life Care Hospital as he received further treatment.
However, reports coming in propagate a different narrative. Family members claim that they were informed that their son died by suicide. Moreover, the family is accusing the school of negligence and an attempt to cover-up about the sad incident.
Friend School Kamusinga Student Speaking on the Incident
Jacinta Ndiege, the mother to the boy who died, quoting the words of one boy says that they had gone to the toilet together with the deceased where they took long as they were queuing. A teacher then reportedly began to chase them and in the process of running away Ombok stepped on the septic tank.
On the other hand, the uncle to the deceased Evan Ndiege upon inspection of the pit where the incident is said to have occurred raised concerns on its safety noting that it was a clear case of negligence from the school.
“When you see the pit, it vividly reveals that the case was due to negligence, and it cannot be justified as a suicide case,” the uncle said in a media interview.
Also Read: Student Dies After Falling into Septic Tank
The Family’s Plea
The family is now pleading for Justice, calling upon all investigative agencies to do their work in investigating their son’s death to establish the safety parameters for students at the school.
As the investigations continue, the mother is asking the school to come out clean on the matter and accede to their mistake of not doing its part to ensure safety of learners by keeping children in school with a septic tank that was wide ajar, with no cover.
Bungoma County Government Director of Education Pius Ng’oma conveyed his condolences to the family and the FSK fraternity, promising to issue a comprehensive report in due course.
Also Read: Autopsy Reveals How 21 Endarasha Pupils Died in Fire Inferno
“We are sorry for the FSK family, and the parents as well for the loss. We shall give a full report once the investigations are completed,” said Ng’oma.
The Kamusinga School incident adds to a list of accidents reported in schools that have hit news headlines in the recent past.
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