NANDI COUNTY, Kenya — William Ruto has donated Sh5 million to Kapsabet School for the Deaf in Nandi County following a tragic septic tank collapse at the institution that killed one student and injured several others.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a concrete slab covering an old septic tank reportedly gave way, trapping learners who had gathered at the site.
According to the Kenya Red Cross Society, emergency teams responded swiftly to rescue the affected students.
“Emergency teams from the Kenya Red Cross Society, county authorities and the school responded swiftly and rescued all those trapped. Seven students were injured and taken to hospital for treatment,” the humanitarian agency said.
Authorities believe that recent heavy rains may have contributed to the disaster by weakening the soil around the structure.
The Kenya Meteorological Department had earlier warned that continued rainfall could trigger weather-related hazards.
“Rainfall-related hazards are likely to occur. They may pose a threat to life and damage property. Be prepared,” the department said in a public advisory.
President Ruto made an impromptu stop at the school shortly after the incident, where he met students and staff and expressed condolences to the affected families.
“I’m aware there are students from here who came to see and welcome us. Sorry for the accident that happened here, we will deal with that issue but I’m also here to visit you,” Ruto said.
“I’m very sorry to the children who were involved in the accident, the county government will handle that but I’m also aware that you have other needs,” he added before addressing the head teacher directly.
“Because I’m here, I will leave you with Sh5 million.”
The president was accompanied by several leaders from the region, including Julius Melly, Samson Cherargei and Stephen Sang.
In an update, the Kenya Red Cross said the situation had been stabilised and that psychosocial support services were being offered to students and staff affected by the incident. The organisation added that sign-language services were also being provided to ensure effective communication with learners at the special needs institution.
President Ruto had travelled to the region to attend centenary celebrations at Kapsabet Boys High School, his former school.
During the visit, he also attended a thanksgiving ceremony at Kapsabet Girls High School to celebrate strong national examination results.
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Dressed in his former school’s uniform, the president inspected the construction of a 1,000-bed capacity hostel at Kapsabet Girls and announced additional infrastructure projects.
These include another 1,000-bed dormitory, 35 classrooms, an administration block and a 2,500-seat hall.
“We are committed to expanding school infrastructure across the country, and we have built 23,000 classrooms while 1,600 laboratories in senior schools are under construction,” he said, adding that the government’s 100 per cent transition policy had reached 99 per cent at Grade 9 level.
While in Nandi County, the president also launched and inspected several government projects, including the Chesumei and Emgwen affordable housing developments and the Kapsabet modern market.
He later addressed a large crowd of residents and political supporters in Kapsabet town as part of the regional development tour.
