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1 student dies after UoN Kikuyu campus stampede

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi says 20 other students are admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital while four others are admitted to PCEA Kikuyu hospital.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi says 20 other students are admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital while four others are admitted to PCEA Kikuyu hospital.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 12 – One student at the University of Nairobi Kikuyu campus has succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Karen Hospital on Sunday.

This was after the morning stampede that occurred after blasts occasioned by a faulty underground electrical cable, next to a transformer supplying power to one of the hostels.

Four others were undergoing surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital with one being in critical condition.

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi says 20 other students are admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital while four others are admitted to PCEA Kikuyu hospital.

“The student in the hostel, thinking that they were under attack, panicked with some of them jumping from as high as the fifth floor of the hostel,” he said.
“In addition, there was a stampede in the hostel as students tried to exit occasioning injuries.”

He was addressing journalists at Kenyatta National hospital after visiting the students admitted there. Most of the students admitted, he said were in stable condition, “and number of those to be discharged will increase.”

At PCEA, Kikuyu hospital, 54 students were received and attended to, 50 of whom have since been discharged while the four others are still undergoing treatment.
Three other students are admitted in various hospitals.

Over 100 students were injured during the incident that saw students run for their lives thinking it was a terror attack. Kaimenyi has appealed to the university students to remain calm, “as we deal with the aftermath of the situation.”

“As we are mourning the unfortunate loss of the departed student, we are also praying for quick recovery of those who were injured.”

Kenya Power Chief Executive Officer Ben Chumo said already a team has been sent to the campus to rectify the electric fault.

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“The cable (that exploded) looks like it has yielded because of an overload because of many people coming in to use as the university population increased,” he said.
“The tremor particularly came as result of the fact that the underground cable is very close to the foundation of the building. When the cable exploded, that kind of impact was felt by the entire structure of the building.”

The chief of security of the campus turned off the lights to avoid further destruction.

Chumo says the university will be given a new transformer and a new cable with a larger capacity put in place.

The university Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Mbithi also visited the injured students.

He applauded police for their swift response in a bid to put the situation in control.

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