Residents of Epanja village in East Wanga Ward are mourning after the death of a KCSE candidate at Ebubere Secondary School in Mumias East Constituency, Kakamega County.

This is after the 19-year-old Calistus Wamboye Oteu, a KCSE candidate collapsed and died in the exam room.

Calistus, along with his sibling, who is also sitting for the national examination, left home on Tuesday morning in good health.

According to the family, led by parents Patrick and Dorcas Oteu, there were no indications of any illness prior to the heartbreaking news that shattered their hopes.

Calistus reportedly collapsed and died in class as he waited the start of his exam.

The Oteu family, overwhelmed by the sudden loss, has appealed to the government and well-wishers for support. His body has been taken to St. Mary’s Mission Hospital morgue in Mumias, where a post-mortem examination is expected to reveal the cause of death.

In a similar incident, another male KCSE candidate from Tigania West, Meru County, died on Sunday, just hours before the commencement of the exams.

Meru County Commissioner Jacob Ouma confirmed the death, though further details remain limited.

The national exam period has begun on a sorrowful note, leaving communities mourning the loss of young lives.

This comes at a time when the ongoing Form Four national examinations has brought to light the alarming issue of teenage pregnancies, with some candidates forced to sit for their first papers from maternity wards.

Reports indicate that a few students in different parts of the country are giving birth or expecting to deliver soon, underscoring the depth of this growing crisis.

Although the Education Ministry is yet to release official numbers, spot checks across individual counties suggest that schoolgirls are facing the dangers of early or teenage pregnancies.

The situation has raised concerns among education stakeholders about the challenges these young mothers face, balancing academic responsibilities with the demands of motherhood.