The family of 8-year-old Patrick Bahati is seeking justice following his mysterious death in Thika, Kiambu County.
Bahati who was a pupil at Pebbles Academy died on Friday, August 30, after taking part in a cross-country morning run organized by the school.
According to the school, the boy collapsed towards the end of the 4km walk and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
“Upon approaching the school towards the end of the exercise, the child asked to rest and sat down. After a short while, the teacher asked Patrick if he was ready to finish the walk, but he shook his head,” reads the statement issued by the school in part.
“Patrick was assisted into the van and then slumped on the seat and appeared to lose consciousness. The team arrived at Avenue Hospital Thika and unfortunately, the doctors were not able to stabilize the child, and he passed on during treatment phase.”
Mother of Patrick Bahati Speaks
The family of Patrick Bahati has accused the school of forcing their son to participate in the school’s cross-country games and ignoring instructions from the mother of the deceased to exempt her son from the games.
Ann Wawira, Bahati’s mother, stated that despite clearly informing the school that her son should not participate in the games, the school disregarded her wishes and forced him to complete the 4km walk, which ultimately proved too much for him to bear.
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“The principal is telling me this child sat down and told them he was feeling tired, so I haven’t gotten any good statement that I can even tell somebody that this is what happened to my child,” she noted.
Bahati’s mother has demanded accountability and answers from Pebbles Academy, alleging that the administration has not disclosed the truth about the son’s death.
“We are still waiting to hear from the school because I still haven’t heard anything that can make me feel settled on the explanation of what exactly happened to my son. Everyone I spoke to told me a different thing,” she added.
Pebbles Academy, Thika Issues Statement
The school said that it had indicated in the learner’s diary that there will be cross-country activity on the following day Thursday and like other learners, Patrick came prepared for the cross- country dressed in a tracksuit and had in addition a smart watch.
They added that Patrick’s mother called the school to say that her son should only walk and should not be made to run.
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Furthermore, it added that the learner was accompanied by two teachers during the walk, who took all necessary emergency precautions when he fainted.
“There were some children who were not running, and arrangements had been made for teachers to escort them in their walk,” the school said.
“Patrick walked the entire time and was in the company of two teachers and other learner.”
A post-mortem examination was conducted on Tuesday, September 4, and the pathologists reported that there was no evidence of external traumatic injury and therefore the death was declared “unascertained pending toxicology and histology.”
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