Kakamega Primary School was on Tuesday closed for a week, a day after 14 pupils died in a stampede.
During the closure, pupils and parents will be counselled at both the school and Kakamega Referral Hospital. The institution has 3,128 pupils.
Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the stampede. The culpable will be dealt with, Western regional commissioner Ann Ng'etich said.
"We're going to open counselling centres both at the school and the Kakamega Referral Hospital to counsel pupils and parents," Ng'etich said.
Thirteen pupils were confirmed dead on arrival at the referral hospital. The other died of injuries at Nala Nursing Home where he was being treated.
Five of the deceased are girls and the rest boys.
Two critically injured pupils are in the ICU at the referral hospital and two others in general wards. Thirty-seven were treated and discharged.
"We have not made any headway with the investigations due to interruptions by dignitaries. We have not recorded any statement," Western regional deputy DCI boss Jimmy Kisibo said yesterday.
Among those who visited the school were Deputy President William Ruto, Education CS George Magoha and his PS Bellio Kipsang. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya was also at the school.
Reports doing the rounds on Monday indicated that the pupils might have been fleeing from a cane-wielding teacher.
A sombre mood engulfed the referral hospital mortuary as relatives thronged the facility to view the bodies of their beloved ones.
Magoha said the culpable will be punished. "We have decided to allow our children to rest this week. By the end of the week we will have known the cause of the stampede and re-open it," he said.
He said the tragedy was being investigated by "a multi agencies team that will get to the bottom of the matter. Pupils could not have started running without knowing why."
He said he had earlier been at the school on an inspection tour and certified it met all the standards.
The CS said the national and county governments will work together to settle hospital bills and burial costs.
Kakamega leaders among them Oparanya, National Assembly Majority Whip Ben Washiali, Lurambi MP Titus Khamala and Ikolomani’s Bernard Shinali, have called for thorough investigations to establish the cause of the stampede.
