Tragedy struck Queen of Angels Academy in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County, on Wednesday morning when a pit latrine collapsed, killing three pre-primary school pupils.
The deceased, all young girls—two from Pre-Primary 1 (PP1) and one from Pre-Primary 2 (PP2)—had reportedly gone to relieve themselves when the structure suddenly caved in.
Turbo Sub-County Police Commander Patrick Wekesa confirmed the incident, noting that the children were retrieved from the rubble and rushed to hospital in critical condition.
“Three pupils were retrieved from the collapsed latrine and taken to the hospital in critical condition,” said Wekesa.
“Unfortunately, all three have since been confirmed dead.”
The bodies were first taken to Turbo Sub-County Hospital before being transferred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret for preservation and post-mortem examination.
The school is under the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, which has since confirmed the tragic news.
Father Mathew Too, Education Secretary of Catholic Schools in the diocese, described the incident as deeply unfortunate and said that the church was working closely with local authorities to understand what caused the collapse.
“This is an unfortunate incident, and we are mourning with the affected families. Investigations are ongoing,” said Father Too.
The incident has triggered outrage among parents and education stakeholders, many of whom are now questioning the safety standards of public and private school facilities, especially in early childhood development centres.
Education officials and county leaders are expected to visit the school for an official inspection. Meanwhile, an investigation into the construction and maintenance of the latrine is underway.
