The 14 pupils of Kakamega Primary School who lost their lives in a stampede on Monday suffocated to death, according to an autopsy report released yesterday.<\/p>\n
County Pathologist Dickson Muchana said an examination of some of the bodies revealed damage to the lungs.\u201cWe are doing limited autopsies because the circumstances of the deaths are known and have not been contested. If we open the skulls, we will interfere with tomorrow\u2019s (today) programme,\u201d said Dr Muchana.By 2pm, six autopsies had been conducted with similar findings.? The pathologist said one child had a dislocated right shoulder that could have resulted from struggling to get free of the bodies.<\/p>\n
A funeral Mass for 13 of the children is scheduled to be held today at Bukhungu Stadium.The ceremony will be to celebrate the lives of Antonatte Khayumba, Prudence Eliza, Catherine Aloo, Prince Vermaline, Nichole Achola, Venesa Andeso, Fidel Kumbetie, Simon Waweru, Samuel Simekha, Lavenda Akasa, June Nakhumicha, Joseph Mutsami and Bertha Munywele.One pupil, Nailah Keverenge, was buried on Wednesday according to Muslim rites.<\/p>\n
Forty-six learners were injured in the tragic incident. Thirty-seven pupils were treated at the Kakamega County Hospital and discharged.Three pupils are in the intensive care unit, three are in the surgical ward while three others are recuperating in the general ward.<\/p>\n
Mourn together<\/strong><\/p>\n Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya are expected at the event.\u201cEight governors and a host of regional leaders have confirmed attendance. We expect everyone to be seated by 10am so that we can mourn together with the families that lost their children,\u201d said Kakamega director of communication Dickson Rayori.<\/p>\n The official said the pupils\u2019 bodies would later be released to their families for burial.Prof Magoha said the school will remain closed until Monday next week to allow security agencies time to conduct investigations.<\/p>\n The school has 3,128 learners in the primary section and 294 in pre-primary classes. The three-storey building was constructed between 2004 and 2010 and has 24 classrooms with an average of 65 pupils in each class.While condoling the bereaved families on Wednesday, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said it was agonising to lose young children with a promising future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is painful to the parents of the 14 children who lost their lives and especially the mothers who endured the pain of giving birth like me. It is disheartening and the only thing we can give the affected families is comfort and prayers,\u201d said Amina.Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali said the school building was not constructed to the required standards, adding that the contractor should be held responsible for the incident.<\/p>\n \u201cThe building does not have emergency exits and even the main entry points are narrow. Such a building is supposed to have several entry and exit points so that in case of an emergency like fire or what happened Monday, we don\u2019t have many fatalities and evacuation is easier,\u201d said Mr Shinali.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has called for the development of new safety guidelines for public schools in the country.Speaking at the school on Wednesday, Kuppet chairman Omboko Milemba urged Magoha to call a conference to help revise the safety guidelines developed in 2008.<\/p>\n Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori warned that the 100 per cent transition policy from primary to secondary schools had stretched facilities, which put learners\u2019 lives at risk in case of emergencies.\u201cWith the new numbers, we need a national debate that will come up with new guidelines on the safety standards that should be put in place to ensure our children are secure in school,\u201d said Mr Misori.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 14 pupils of Kakamega Primary School who lost their lives in a stampede on Monday suffocated to death, according to an autopsy report released yesterday. County Pathologist Dickson Muchana said an examination of some of the bodies revealed damage to the lungs.\u201cWe are doing limited autopsies because the circumstances of the deaths are known […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":2135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,8],"tags":[1142,1214],"class_list":["post-2134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-homepage-english","tag-kakamega-primary-school","tag-kakamega-school-stampede"],"yoast_head":"\n