Kakamega stampede: Parents recount last moments with children

Parents arriving at the Kakamega County Hospital to check on their injured children. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kakamega Central Police Commander David Kabena said 14 pupils had died.  
  • Two pupils, who were admitted at the Intensive Care Unit, were reported to be in a stable condition.

Parents and relatives of the 14 pupils who perished in a stampede at Kakamega Primary School were Tuesday struggling to come to terms with the death of their loved ones.

Distraught parents and relatives streamed to the Kakamega County Hospital mortuary to view bodies of the children whose lives were cut short in the Monday tragic incident. Kakamega Central Police Commander David Kabena said 14 pupils had died.  

STABLE CONDITION

Two pupils, who were admitted at the Intensive Care Unit, were reported to be in a stable condition.

The police boss dismissed reports circulating on social media indicating the death toll had risen to 19.

 “The death toll still stands at 14 and the injured are receiving treatment and are in a stable condition,” said Mr Kabena.

Counsellors from the Kenya Red Cross, St John's Ambulance, the National Police Service and the County Government were at hand to offer psychological support to the affected families.

They were joined by counsellors from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Mrs Laventa Janet Andiso, who lost her son Verm Prince in the tragedy, was inconsolable.

TRAGEDY STRUCK

Parents narrated the last moments they shared with their children before the tragedy struck.

Ms Andiso from Mwiyala village in Lurambi said she was informed by a friend about the tragedy. 

“I rushed to Kakamega Primary [School] to find out what had happened but I did not find my son. I was asked to go to the [Kakamega] County Hospital where the injured had been rushed but I did not find him," said Ms Andiso.

After searching at St Elizabeth, Mukumu Hospital and Nala Nursing Home, she decided to go to the mortuary.

“When I entered the mortuary, I saw my child lying there lifeless. When he left home in the morning, he had asked me to pick him up from school,” said Ms Andiso.

She attributed her son's death to ''evil forces''.

"My son had dreams of becoming a pilot or doctor but that dream has sadly been cut short," said Ms Andiso.