Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed will lead the country in mourning the demise of the 11 St Gabriel’s Primary School students who died in a road accident last Saturday.
A requiem mass will be held at the St Joseph’s Seminary in Mwingi town on Thursday. The accident occurred when the school bus that was traveling from Mombasa to Mwingi collided with a lorry.
The driver of the lorry that caused the death of the students has since been charged with causing death by dangerous driving. Abdallah Hassan pleaded not guilty before Senior Principal Magistrate, Kibet Sambu, who granted him a bond of Sh5 million with two sureties of the same amount.
Alternatively, he was ordered to pay Sh1 million cash bail, until August 20th when his case will be reviewed.
Eight students died on the spot when the school bus collided with the oncoming lorry at Kanginga bridge about 1km from Mwingi Town on the Thika-Garissa Road. One more died on the way to the Kenyatta National Hospital while another died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.The 11th student died while being treated at the Mwingi Level 4 Hospital.
Three pupils who had been admitted at the Mwingi Level 4 Hospital have left the facility.
Medical superintendent Evans Mumo yesterday said two were discharged on Tuesday, but their parents took them to Nairobi Women’s Hospital for further examination. They are Diana Mwangi and Lyn Mutua.
President Kenyatta Bans Night Travelling
Any school activity entailing travel should not be undertaken past 6pm, President Uhuru Kenyatta has warned school principals and managers.
While officially opening the 10th African Confederation of Principals Conference at Pride Inn Hotel in Mombasa, President Kenyatta said it was unfortunate that 11 children lost their lives in the Mwingi accident that occurred on Saturday.
The accident which killed pupils of St Gabriel Primary School Mwingi is reported to have occurred at around 11pm while the pupils were returning from an academic trip from Mombasa.
“If you have delayed, for one reason or another, let us try and go to the closest secondary school, go to the closest police station that can guide you to the closest secondary school and let the children go and spend the night, cause after all it is better to be late by one day than to lose life,” said Kenyatta.
Kenyatta led the delegation of the over 1,200 principals from Ghana, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa in a one minute of silence to remember the 11 pupils who lost their lives.
The Head of State said any school in the country has access to any other school in another region.
“As you know you have access to all schools throughout the country, access that school and inform parents that we shall not be coming today but arrive tomorrow. It is better safe, than sorry,” said Kenyatta