Mohamed Hare, a 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Thika High School, has died after an incident at the school that is now the subject of a murder investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), with detectives working to establish exactly what happened and whether any criminal offence was committed.
The case has drawn attention after police, the school and the family gave different accounts of the events leading to the student's death.
According to Thika High School Principal Julius Muraya, the incident began after Mohamed became involved in a disagreement with another student before the situation turned into a fight.
"At around 10:00 pm, there were boys who were supposed to pray in that class so that when preps end, they go to the dorms. When they were planning to pray, two boys disagreed. The differences caused the fight between the two of them," Muraya said.
Investigators said Mohamed was first treated at the school dispensary after the altercation before his condition worsened. He was then rushed to Thika Level 5 Hospital for further treatment, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. His body was later moved to the hospital mortuary as police opened investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The investigation has now been handed over to the DCI, which is expected to collect witness statements, review medical reports and examine all available evidence before determining what happened. Detectives will also rely on the findings of a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
Thika Police Commander John Kimanthi confirmed that one student had been arrested and that detectives had launched a murder investigation into the case. He said investigators would continue gathering evidence before making further decisions.
Central Region Criminal Investigations Officer Dr Mugambi Nkingo said detectives were examining different possibilities surrounding the incident.
"The circumstances surrounding the death of the Grade 10 pupil point to either an assault or an accident that caused him to fall to his death," Dr Nkingo said.
Mohamed's family has questioned the information it received from the school and says it is still waiting for a clear explanation about the events that led to the teenager's death. Relatives have rejected suggestions that the matter should simply be treated as a school fight and are demanding a full investigation to establish whether any laws were broken.
The family said it first received a phone call from the school informing them that Mohamed had been involved in a fight with another student and asking them to report to the institution immediately. However, they said that after arriving at the school, they were informed that he had already died.
Emotional scenes were witnessed at General Kago Mortuary in Thika when Mohamed's mother, Nuur Hassan, viewed her son's body.
"I found my son lying lifeless and uncovered, and there was no one to answer me," she said.
Family spokesperson Jamal Aidid said relatives were struggling to understand the conflicting information they had received from different people since the incident occurred.
"We as a family are still in the dark as to the exact circumstances under which our child died. We are being taken in circles, with some saying he was assaulted while others say it was an accident," Aidid said.
He added that the family wanted investigators to provide a full account supported by evidence, including witness statements and any available CCTV footage, so that they could know exactly what happened during Mohamed's final moments.
School management has maintained that the matter is now under investigation and said it will cooperate fully with detectives as they continue collecting evidence from students, teachers and other members of staff who may have information about the incident.
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