NAKURU, Kenya – Njoro Girls High School in Nakuru County has been closed indefinitely following protests by parents and local residents over the death of a Form Four student under circumstances that remain unclear.
The student, identified as Brenda Akinyi, died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Nakuru after reportedly falling ill while at school.
Her death triggered demonstrations that began on Monday and escalated into Tuesday, forcing education authorities to suspend learning activities at the institution.
Brenda’s family has raised serious concerns over how the school handled her illness, claiming she was unwell for several days without receiving timely medical attention or referral to a hospital.
According to her mother, Brenda had complained of persistent headaches while in school, but was allegedly only given painkillers by the school nurse.
“She kept saying her head was aching, but the nurse kept giving her ibuprofen,” her mother said. “They never contacted me to come and take my child to hospital.”
The family says they were only alerted after Brenda’s condition deteriorated, a delay they believe may have worsened her situation.
By the time she was taken to hospital, her health had significantly declined.
“My daughter looked weak and dizzy. Her lips were chapped,” the grieving mother said. “I don’t have much to say because this has already happened, but I hope this never happens to another child.”
The incident sparked anger among parents and residents, who gathered outside the school gates demanding answers and accountability from the school administration.
Police officers were deployed to the area to control the situation as tensions rose.
Nakuru County Education Director Mulili confirmed that all Form Three and Form Four students had been sent home as a precautionary measure to restore calm and allow investigations to proceed.
Authorities say investigations into the student’s death are ongoing, with a postmortem examination scheduled for Tuesday to establish the cause of death.
By the time of publication, Njoro Girls High School had not issued an official statement addressing the incident or the allegations raised by the family.
