A fire incident at the Nyahururu Town Academy inflicted serious burns on a student late Thursday night.
The Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) candidate was reportedly injured during post-examination celebrations, where they torched books and other school-related items.
The event popularly known as “academic fire” left the pupil mainly scalded around the hands and face.
She was immediately rushed to the Nyahururu County and Referral Hospital for emergency medical services.
According to the victim, the school head teacher had asked all the candidates to gather outside the school compound and directed them to light a bonfire after their evening meals as part of celebrations which went up to around 2:00 am.
“I accidentally went too close to the fire and lost her balance,” the pupil said when speaking from the hospital.
Her parents said they were only informed of the issue later when they went to pick up their daughter on Friday.
They expressed disappointment with the school, noting that it should have been proactive enough to prevent such an accident.
They called on relevant authorities to help their daughter get justice and proper care.
The victim’s mother added that the school management did not seem remorseful over the incident, which would likely leave her daughter with permanent scars.
Police launched investigations into the matter after she filed a complaint at Riverside Police Post.
