Dj Vnyash
A gas leak at Makande Girls Secondary School on Thursday morning caused eight Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates to faint, with five of them still being treated at Makadara General Hospital in Mombasa.
According to a live report from Citizen TV, the incident disrupted the students’ Kiswahili exam as the gas leak affected a large portion of the examination area.
At the time of reporting, investigations were ongoing, and law enforcement had not yet identified the source of the gas leak, although there are suspicions that nearby businesses might be responsible. There is a waste disposal site outside the school compound, which could be linked to the leak.
The school has about 90 students sitting for the exam, and 84 were relocated to the nearby Makande Boys Secondary School to continue their Kiswahili exam. The five candidates in the hospital are expected to be discharged in the afternoon and will sit for the exam they missed.
Parents have been reassured that the students have been safely moved from the premises and that those in the hospital are in stable condition. The area with the highest concentration of gas has been secured as investigations continue.
This incident adds to a series of unfortunate events affecting this year’s KCSE exams. On Monday, a candidate in Meru from Tigania West constituency died just hours before the exam. On Tuesday, another candidate from Ebubere Secondary School in Mumias collapsed and died inside the exam room while waiting to sit for his mathematics paper.
More updates will follow.
Silverio Omari
