One pupil sustained serious injuries after a classroom wall collapsed on her at Ivona East primary school in Mautuma location, Lugari Sub County following heavy rains that were accompanied by strong winds that hit the school.
According to the school’s headteacher Mr. John Waudo Mang’oli, the tragic incident occurred at about 3.50pm when the pupils had just been released to go home because of the looming heavy rain.
However, he said as the pupils left, some of them who come from far chose to shelter at the school since it had already started drizzling.
He said minutes later it started raining heavily and strong winds toppled one of the classrooms used by standard six pupils, and the collapsed wall fell on one of the pupils who was sheltering in the class. The headteacher said heavy boulders injured the pupil.
However, combined efforts from teachers saw the victim eventually rescued before she was rushed to Mbagara health centre for treatment. “In the event of the damage, there was one pupil who had remained behind and sustained injuries but thereafter the child was taken to
Mbagara health centre where treatment was administered and stitching was done. She received a tetanus injection and now she is in a stable condition,” explained the headteacher adding the situation would’ve been worse had it happened while all pupils were in the class.
He said one classroom was totally destroyed while the rest structures within the school compound apart from three classrooms were affected by the strong winds estimating the total damage to be worth over Kshs. 1 million.
Mr. Waudo has appealed to area leaders and well-wishers to come to the aid of the school to assist, arguing that the school already was facing a shortage of classrooms.
A similar incident was witnessed at Sipande secondary school where winds ripped off a classroom rooftop and blew iron sheets several meters away from the compound disrupting learning activities at the school.
According to the principal Mrs. Janet Sidela, the incident occurred at about 3:30 pm just a few moments after she had entered the class for the last lesson before the evening break.
“Iron sheets from classroom were ripped off and hurled several meters away,” she said adding that the classroom was being used by form one students.
She said in process of running for safety the students broke chairs and desks and they have been forced to take their lesson while sitting on the floor.
Mrs. Sidela has appealed for assistance to help renovate the affected classroom as well as the furniture adding that the students also lost their books which were destroyed by the rain as they ran leaving them behind.