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At least 14 pupils died in a stampede at Kakamega Primary School last evening. 

Scores of others escaped with injuries and were admitted to Kakamega County Referral Hospital, Nala Community Hospital and other nearby medical facilities.

According to the Kakamega Town sub-county police boss David Kabena, one pupil was  admitted to the referral hospital in critical condition, 39 others with serious injuries while 20 were treated and discharged.

At least 14 bodies were last evening transferred to the Kakamega County Referral Hospital mortuary. Thirteen of the pupils died at the county hospital while one succumbed while undergoing treatment at Nala community hospital.

Deaths and injuries

Kabena said the deaths and injuries occurred during the stampede as the children rushed to go home from one of the storey buildings in the school. He said the stampede occurred a few minutes after 5pm when the school had closed for the day. Most of the affected pupils are said to have been in Classes 4 and 5 whose classrooms are on the third floor.

Sources at the school said the stampede began when one of the teachers who had a whip scared one pupil who started running while screaming. “It was at that juncture that other pupils started running helter-skelter. In the confusion, some pupils were trampled on by others after falling on the staircases as they attempted to escape from the teacher,” said the source.

School principal Dickson Wanyangu was yet to come to terms with the tragedy. He declined to talk to journalists.

The school with about 3, 000 pupils, is one of the best performing public schools in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE)examination  in the country.

Last evening, grief engulfed the school and the hospital as distraught parents jammed the two institutions in search of their children.

Wailing and screams rent the air as some of the parents confirmed the deaths and injuries of their loved ones.  Security  officers had a rough time controlling the large crowd that was milling around the school and the hospital.

Eager parents camped at the hospital following  fears that more pupils  may have succumbed to the injuries.

Some parents blamed the narrow corridors in the building for the large number of deaths.

By the time of going to press, Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya had arrived at the scene.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a Twitter message said: “My heartfelt condolences to parents that have lost loved ones in the unfortunate and regrettable tragedy at Kakamega Primary School.

I wish a quick recovery to the injured children and pray that God grant strength to the affected families.”  He called for a thorough probe on the incident.