By Agnes Orang’o
The mother of the Tala Girls High school Form Three student who hanged herself on Wednesday, 31st August in a dormitory bathroom has decried complacency on the part of the school in giving details about what pushed her daughter to kil herself.
The mother Francisca Mueni told Education News that the facts surrounding her daughter’s death are opaque and the school had not provide her sufficient details of what pushed her daughter to commit suicide.
She was speaking at Kangundo Mortuary where she went to witness the autopsy of her daughter’s body on Friday, 2nd September.
“The Principal broke the news bluntly without even caring about my emotions. ‘Your daughter was found dead’. That was the Principal’s statement without blinking causing me to scream in pain. I cried for long and all they told me was that they would talk to me after I am done crying,” narrated Ms. Mueni.
According to her, the school deputy failed to handle the issue wisely pushing her daughter to death.
“They told me my daughter’s body is in the mortuary yet I gave her to them healthy and hearty. I did not bring a corpse to them and there are answers they are not giving me,” she added amid sobs.
Preliminary reports indicated that the girl had been accused of stealing Ksh2,500 and a packet of pencils from a fellow student.
The issue had been handled by the school Deputy Principal Jane Katumbi who told the girl to produce the stolen items during break time.
At the said time the girl took the keys and went to the dorm where she wrote a suicide note and hanged herself.
According to the suicide note, the girl had explained that she didn’t steal the items as accused but no one listened to her, which led her to a state of despair and resorted to commit suicide.
“She was innocent and no one listened to her explanation, they all ganged against her pushing her to the corner. If only this issue was handled well my daughter would be alive today,” she noted.
She described her daughter as jovial and obedient who had been in boarding school in since primary school and had never caused trouble.
She called upon the Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) George Magoha and Interior CS Fred Matiang’i to intervene and ensure she gets justice.
Her friend called for the Ministry of Education to crack the whip on the school administration as she alleges it is to blame for the death.
“For hundreds of others left at the school and millions of others in different schools under threatening management, something should be done. The school threatened a young girl, a minor who was innocent,” she said.
