Three pupils died after a pit latrine collapsed and sunk at
Queen of Angels Turbo School in Uasin Gishu County.
A few others were injured following the incident at the
school located near Turbo Girls High School.
Police and rescuers were called to the scene, where they
struggled to pull out the pupils who had gone to relieve themselves when the
latrine collapsed.
Turbo Sub-County Police Commander Patrick Wekesa said
rescuers managed to pull out the injured pupils, but unfortunately, three of
them had died.
“Some were pulled out from the latrine and taken to hospital
in critical condition,” said Wekesa.
He said police would issue clear details after clearing the
scene.
The deceased pupils were aged below 10 years and were in
Grade One and Two. All of them were girls.
An excavator was used to help dig up the area and establish
if other pupils were trapped.
Wekesa said they were carrying out investigations to
establish the cause of the collapse.
Heavy rains have been pounding the region, causing the soil
to weaken due to flooding, including at the school.
The school is owned by the Catholic Church, and Father
Mathew Too, who is the Education Secretary of Catholic schools in the Eldoret
Catholic Diocese region, was also among those who rushed to the scene.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, and the toilet had not
shown any signs of collapsing before the incident,” said Too.
He said the incident may have been as a result of the heavy
rains.
Too said all other facilities at the school were undergoing
inspection by engineers to establish their suitability for use.
Wilson Sawe, who is Director of Administration and Planning
in the Department of Education, also visited the school, which is partly
boarding and day.
“We are saddened by this incident and have taken measures to
ensure that all other pupils are safe. We will wait for investigations to
establish the actual cause,” he said.
He said the ministry had directed an inspection of all
schools in the region to ensure they are safe, especially during the ongoing
rains.
Nelson Kirui, who is KNUT Executive Secretary for Eldoret
West, also visited the school and expressed sadness over the loss of the
pupils.
“We call on the government to inspect facilities at all
schools and ensure all our children are safe, especially during the ongoing
heavy rains,” said Kirui.
