A Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) candidate was seriously injured on Thursday night, December 1, in a fire incident at a Nyahururu Town Academy.
The student was burnt during a celebration known as academic fire, in which candidates torch books and other related school items after completing exams.
Reports indicated that the pupil was mainly burnt around the hands and face.
She was immediately rushed to the Nyahururu County and Referral Hospital for emergency medical services.
"School head teacher had asked all the candidates to gather outside the school compound and ordered us to light a bonfire after their evening meals as part of celebrations which went up to around 2:00 am," the victim recounted.
At the hospital, the pupil noted that the celebrations were halted when she accidentally went too close to the fire and lost her balance.
On their part, her parents lamented that they informed of the issue later, on Thursday, December 1, when they went to pick up their daughter as instructed by the school.
"I only learned of the incident from another pupil who directed me to where my daughter was lying while writhing in pain," the girl's mother complained.
The mother expressed her disappointment with the school, noting that it should have been proactive enough to prevent such an accident.
She called on relevant authorities to help her daughter get justice and proper care.
The victim's mother added that the school management seemed unremorseful 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.
