Eastleigh

Visa Oshwal closes early for midterm break as probe into pupil's death intensifies

Ilyaas Abdikarim Ali Mohamud, 11, whose body was found in a school's swimming pool. (Handout)

By Hanifa Adan | Thursday, February 22, 2024

Ilyaas Abdikarim Ali Mohamud who went missing on Tuesday at around 2 pm was found dead in the school's swimming pool on Wednesday.

Visa Oshwal Primary School in Parklands, Nairobi, has closed early for the midterm break amid a probe into the mysterious death of an 11-year-old pupil.

In a statement on Thursday, the school announced the mid-term break will start on February 22 and run until March 4, "to allow staff, teachers and learners an ample opportunity to mourn and heal".

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Ilyaas Abdikarim Ali Mohamud who went missing on Tuesday at around 2 pm was found dead in the school's swimming pool on Wednesday. He was buried on Thursday at Lang'ata Cemetery.

Following this, the school said it opted for an early midterm break to ensure that the learners could mourn Ilyaas even as the family demanded justice.

"Throughout this period, we encourage you to engage your child/children in discussions about their feelings related to this loss. We understand that grief affects everyone differently, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you need guidance on how best to help your child cope with these emotions," the school said in a memo addressed to parents.

In an interview with The Eastleigh Voice, his uncle, Ali Adan, who has called for a probe into the death said he had received conflicting information from the school regarding Ilyaas' whereabouts.

"The class teacher claimed that the boy had gone to the toilet at around 3 pm and did not come back. The swimming pool guard, on the other hand, said Ilyaas's class didn’t have a swimming session on the fateful day. The school gave me conflicting reports," he said.

Ali said he found other pupils swimming but no one informed him of Ilyaas's whereabouts. "I went back to the school again and nobody told me of his whereabouts.”

Ali, who had come to pick up the deceased at 4 pm, said he stayed at the school until midnight before they headed to the police station where they were told to wait until 24 hours before they could file a report.

“I went to the school in the morning but I couldn't find him. I later went to the police station before contacting the DCI officers who went to the school. I was later informed of my nephew’s death at 1 pm on Wednesday,” he said.

Omar Hussein, the Secretary-General of Eastleigh Business District Association (EBDA) and one of the people who spearheaded the search for Ilyaas accused the school of negligence and failing to inform the family of his missing.

“The child disappeared during a class hour at 2:45 pm, why did the class teacher not start the search immediately? Why was a grade 2 pupil missing for hours with no concern whatsoever from the school?” he posed.

Omar also questioned why there was no guard at the swimming pool when the pupil was apparently swimming contrary to the normal schedule.

“There was no swimming program for the pupils on that day but the school claimed to have found his body after 20 hours,” he added.

The family together with their lawyer Danstan Omari are on a course to seek justice for Ilyaas's death.