KURIA WEST: Pain, grief, and rising anger have engulfed a village in Masaba following the death of a Grade Two pupil from St. Joseph’s Nurturing School, who was fatally run over by his school transport vehicle moments after being dropped off.

The tragedy has sparked urgent calls for justice and administrative accountability, with the grieving family pointing fingers squarely at the school’s leadership over what they describe as preventable institutional negligence.

According to the family’s account, the accident occurred because the school bus was operating without adult supervision beyond the driver. There was neither a teacher nor a designated bus attendant on board to oversee the safety of the young learners during transit and drop-offs.

In a disclosure regarding the vehicle’s operations, family members stated that the driver relied on older pupils, specifically a Grade Five learner, to open and close the door for younger children alighting from the vehicle.

“Driver mwenyewe hakuwa na msaidizi wake… kuna mwanafunzi mwingine anasukuma mlango anafungua… wengine wakubwa kidogo,” a family representative recounted, noting that no adult was present to ensure the children cleared the vehicle’s path safely.

How it happened

On the afternoon of the incident, the Grade two pupil alighted from the bus.

Instead of walking away from the roadway, the child moved around the vehicle and remained along its side, standing near a blind spot.

Unaware of the child’s exact position, the driver checked the mirrors, assumed the pupil had cleared the area, and engaged the accelerator. The vehicle struck the child, inflicting fatal injuries on the spot.

The sequence of events that followed added to the family’s distress.

According to relatives, a teacher from the school contacted them by phone to report that an incident involving the child had occurred.

When relatives rushed to the school grounds, they were informed that the pupil had been taken to Akidiva Hospital.

Upon arriving at the medical facility, however, they were met with the news that the child had passed away and his body had already been transferred to the mortuary.

In the wake of their loss, the family has demanded that the school administration take financial responsibility for the burial arrangements.

“Shule ikipenda isimame na msiba itakuwa sawa, lakini kama basi haitasimama, tutamwachia tu Maulana,” a family member stated, maintaining that legal and administrative reviews must follow to prevent similar occurrences in school transport operations.

Efforts to obtain an official statement from St. Joseph’s Nurturing School regarding the circumstances of the accident and the safety protocols in place hit a wall.

When contacted regarding the allegations of institutional negligence and the absence of adult supervisors on school vehicles, the school director explicitly declined to comment on the matter.