Mystery around death of Form One student who fell ill at Njoro school

Mystery sorrounds the death of a Form One pupil at Njoro Girls’ High School in Nakuru County on Thursday afternoon, just moments after she was taken to the hospital.

Whitney Njoki, 14, became ill at school and was brought to the hospital in Njoro Sub-county.

Her father, Mr. Peter Wanaina, claimed the director called him and asked him to hurry to school but didn’t say much else.

“The principal called and asked me to call her once l was in Njoro Town. l was later instructed not to proceed to school but instead rush to the hospital,” he said. “Once at the hospital, the principal never disclosed anything but instead asked me to be calm and wait for the doctor.”

News of his first born daughter’s death was relayed shortly after by the doctor who had attended to her.

“As a parent I want to know what led to my daughter’s death. When we brought her here, her school health history file indicated she was okay. She had no condition. This was not her first time in boarding school. She attended one in primary. I am ruling out any underlying condition,” said Mr Wainaina.

Peter Wainaina, Whitney Njoki’s father, addresses the press outside Njoro Girls’ High School, which she attended until her death on March 9, 2023.

Whitney was admitted to the school on February 7 and was scheduled to take her half-term vacation on March 15, according to Mr. Wanaina. He added that for the month she was in school, they were not made aware of any illnesses, and they were anxiously awaiting her return home for the break.

Ms. Irine Kagiri, Whitney’s mother, said she hadn’t seen Whitney since February and was looking forward to picking her up on Wednesday for the holiday.

She claimed that now that she was dead, all she had were recollections. Ms. Kagiri claimed that Whitney had complained to the school on Thursday morning about tonsil discomfort. She was brought to the hospital when things got worse, but she died there