Autopsy Reveals What Killed Form 3 Student at Katoloni Secondary School

A Form Three student at Katoloni Secondary School in Machakos County died on Saturday evening after falling ill while at school. 

Consolata Nduku was taken to Machakos Level 5 Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. An autopsy later confirmed that she had succumbed to acute pneumonia, a severe lung infection that had compromised her breathing. Earlier in the day, Nduku had complained of feeling unwell and was given painkillers by the school matron. 

Her family has questioned why she was not referred for further medical assessment sooner. Relatives said they were informed of her illness only shortly before her death. 

“We were never told how serious it was,” her grandmother, Faith Ndunge, told reporters. The school administration has denied negligence, saying that the student was attended to promptly and that her condition deteriorated rapidly.

Parents and guardians have raised questions about the adequacy of medical support and the timeliness of communication when students fall ill. Nduku’s family has stressed that children should be allowed to return home at the first sign of serious illness.

Her death follows other recent cases in which students have died after receiving only basic treatment at school. In January, Brenda Akinyi, a Form Four student at Njoro Girls High School in Nakuru, died from cerebral malaria after being given painkillers for several days. 

Last week, a Grade Nine student at Moi Comprehensive School in Nakuru collapsed and died under unclear circumstances, prompting protests from his parents.