A gas leak at Makande Girls Secondary School in Mombasa on Thursday November 7, 2024 in the morning caused eight Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates to faint, temporarily disrupting their Kiswahili examination.
Five students are still admitted at Makadara General Hospital, receiving medical care, while three others were treated and discharged.
According to a live report by Citizen TV, the leak engulfed a significant portion of the examination center, prompting an immediate response from school officials and emergency personnel.
About 90 candidates were registered to sit for the KCSE exam at Makande Girls Secondary. However, during the incident, 84 students were relocated to the nearby Makande Boys Secondary School to complete their Kiswahili exam without further disruption.
Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the source of the gas leak.
Preliminary reports suggest that waste dumping by nearby businesses outside the school could be the cause of the incident, though law enforcement officials are yet to confirm the allegations.
The incident underscores the need for increased safety measures and regulatory oversight, especially around examination centers, to protect students during the national exams.
