MIGORI: A 17-year-old student at Akonjo Junior Secondary School in Uriri Sub-county has been arrested after allegedly hacking his classmate to death with a machete (panga) following a classroom dispute over learning materials.

The tragic incident, which unfolded on Wednesday evening, July 22, has left the local community in shock as police prepare formal murder charges against the teenage suspect.

The suspect and the victim, also aged 17, got into a heated verbal argument at school after the suspect accused his classmate of tampering with his locker and learning materials.

Investigators believe the suspect deliberately skipped afternoon classes following the lunch break to plan a retaliatory attack.

Later in the evening as the victim was walking home from school, the suspect confronted him along the road and struck him repeatedly with a panga.

Good Samaritans rushed the severely injured student to Migori Level Four Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries while receiving emergency treatment.

Kamgundho Location Chief Samuel Onjiko apprehended the 17-year-old suspect shortly after the incident and handed him over to officers at the Uriri Police Station.

“The suspect is in custody pending his formal arraignment in court on a murder charge,” Chief Onjiko confirmed, noting that police are finalizing their report on the circumstances surrounding the fatal assault.

The victim’s body was moved to the Migori Level Four Hospital mortuary where an official post-mortem examination will be conducted as active police investigations continue.