A family in Gesima, Nyamira County, is grieving the loss of their son who was killed in an accident while returning home from Maranda High School after being expelled for unpaid tuition.

The student was one of five passengers died on Saturday night in a horrific crash at Amabuko on the Kisii-Keroka route.

At Amabuko, in Kisii County, a few meters from Keroka town, Protus Mogaka and the other four passengers perished after their 14-seater matatu hit head-on with a trailer.

The collision happened when the matatu’s driver attempted to avoid colliding with a motorcycle rider.

The 17-year-old boy’s parents claim the school did not inform them that their son would be sent home to pay fees, and they are now asking the Ministry of Education to look into the situation.

Ezekiel Machogu, the secretary of the Education Cabinet, stated in February of this year that no pupil should be sent home for not paying their school fees.

Because he was wearing a school uniform, Protus was simple to recognize. In no time, his parents’ phones started receiving dozens of calls.

As they are well known in the area and are employed as Jua Kali artists at Nyansiongo Center, it was simple for people to get in touch with him and his parents.

Mr Julius Mogaka said he was shocked when an unknown caller asked him to rush to Amabuko and check whether it was his son who had been in an accident.

“It was at around 7pm. The caller then told me to go to Gucha sub county hospital where the accident survivors had been taken. When I got to Gucha, I found my son’s body abandoned near the mortuary gate, I became confused and started wailing,” said Mr Mogaka.

He said police officers put him in their vehicle as others kept watch because they were uncomfortable with how he was behaving.

“More of my relatives came and we went back to the mortuary to verify if it was indeed my son. As we headed home after learning that there was nothing we could do, my son’s class teacher texted me asking whether the boy had arrived home,” said Mr Mogaka.

A message seen bythe Nation from the class teacher to the distraught parent read, “Good evening, has Brotas (Protus) come home?”

The message was sent at 10.07pm.

“The teacher didn’t even call, he texted. How was he even asking about my child, yet he had not informed me that he had sent him home? He later called after I texted him back that my son was dead. He told me that he had sent my son home for fees and was enquiring whether he had arrived home. I asked him how he sent my son home without informing me, and that he was now dead. He hung up the phone,” said the father of three.

Protus was his first-born and he had hoped that he would finish his secondary school, pursue higher education and improve his life and those of his siblings.

“He was only a few months away from being a candidate. I had so much hope in him. He was a bright child,” said Mr Mogaka.

Protus had just returned to school after burying his grandfather.

“You see that grave is still fresh. Because of my father’s burial and generally difficulties in getting money, I had difficulties raising school fees. He returned to school minus fees, but after two days, I sent Sh30,000 to the school. I had a balance of Sh7,000 from the previous term and I had endeavoured to reduce it by paying gradually,” he said.