The investigation of the February 3, 2020 stampede at Kakamega was handed over to the Director of Pubic Prosecutions (DPP) before being directed to the the magistrate for formal closure.
Atleast 15 learners from Grade Four and Five lost their lives as dozens of them sustained injuries. It was reported that some pupils fell from third floor of the three-storey building.
46 pupils, 16 teachers and several other individuals had submitted their witness records to detectives. The incident happened at 5pm as the 540 pupils were leaving classrooms for home.
According to the preliminary reports that were recorded shortly after the incident, some pupils claimed that a section of boys had blocked the stairways causing other pupils to step and push one another as they rushed home.
Some claims of superstition also emerged during the probe as section of witnesses claimed that the students were scared when they witnessed a mysterious person with a head resembling that of a cow.
Parents of affected students had pushed the Ministry of Education to probe into the incidence and make findings public as they threatened to sue the school and the Ministry of Education for not protecting their children while at school.
When pushing for the compensation of the affected parents, the Chairperson of the Commission on Administrative Justice Florence Kajuju and her team faulted classroom congestion and the construction of the two narrow staircases of the three-storey building. She also claimed that the staircases had no rails.
Prosecution Senior counsel said in a statement that he found that there was no evident criminal act that was committed since there no one person or persons mentioned in the incident that saw children lose their lives could be identified either by name, physical appearance or even the class they belonged to.
