Eight KCSE candidates faint after mysterious gas leak in Mombasa

Candidates sitting their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams at Makande Girls Secondary School in Mvita constituency, Mombasa County, were affected by a noxious gas on Thursday morning.

As they prepared to write their Kiswahili paper, eight students out of the 84 candidates were knocked out by an unidentified gas suspected to have come from the surrounding industries.

Five students received treatment in the hospital and were discharged with the source of the gas not yet identified.

"Eight of the 84 candidates became faint. Three recovered with first aid. Five were taken to hospital and treated and later discharged," said Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos.

The candidates were ferried to Makupa Boys High School to sit their exams as a multi-agency team was charged with tracing the source of the gas.

"The smell was everywhere; we were even forced to exit our homes in search of fresh air, but it was even worse outside," Makande resident Rabia Obui said.

In Kisumu, a centre manager at Menara Academy in Muhoroni was arrested and held at Chemelil police station after photographs of Wednesday's Chemistry paper were found on his mobile phone.

The discovery was made by education officials making routine rounds as they monitored the ongoing national exams. The suspect, Evans Ochieng Owili, is currently being held at Chemelil police station.

CS Migos, however, maintained that barring mobile phones from exam rooms was bearing fruit.

"In Nairobi, there were students who were found with phones, but they were found before they entered the exam room, so there was no compromise. Even the officers who are transporting the papers are allocated in the morning so that they do not become familiar with the team where they are going," Migos said.

The CS also urged the courts to expedite cases involving exam teaching, as eight teachers who were arrested for photocopying the Chemistry paper of a candidate who was unwell in Homa Bay were presented in court and released on Ksh.2 million bond each.

"They will never be able to teach in this country again," the CS said on the case.