Two 14-year-old girls in West Pokot County consumed insecticide in a suspected suicide pact on Tuesday.
The primary school pupils were friends. They reportedly drank Acaricide, a mite and tick poison, in their dormitory in the evening.
“We established that the two took neuro trap chemicals after they locked themselves inside the dormitory where they mixed it with water,” said West Pokot criminal investigation officer Michael Mwenze.
Statements recorded by the school’s matron and a teacher indicate the minors sneaked out of school on Tuesday for games in Makutano town; they were not participating.
According to the statements, the girls secluded themselves and were seen talking to each other before buying 50ml poison and sneaking back into school in the evening.
During evening preps, when the teacher was distributing sanitary towels, she discovered the pupils were missing.
They were later found unconscious in their beds, Mwenze said. He added that the learners left their parents’ names in an exercise book, including a note; “Bye, our good friend Sarah”.
“They were rushed to Kapenguria Referral Hospital. Unfortunately, Leah Cherop died,” Mwenze said. Adding, “Silvia Chelimo was later transferred to MTRH where she is recuperating. A postmortem was done and we are awaiting results from government chemist.”
The incident has left pupils, parents and teachers in shock as investigations continue in a bid to establish why the girls decided to end their lives.
