A family in Kanyaliet village, Karachuonyo Constituency, Homa Bay County, is mourning the death of their 17-year-old daughter who died shortly after sitting her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination at Alara Mixed Secondary School.
The candidate reportedly complained of severe chest pains after completing her Chemistry Paper One examination on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Her condition deteriorated, prompting her family to rush her to Tamary Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear, with authorities yet to establish the exact cause.
Her death has left her family, teachers and the local community in mourning as thousands of candidates across the country continue with their national examinations.
Her mother, Pamela Atieno, described her as a loving, hardworking and disciplined girl who had dreams of becoming a lawyer after completing her secondary education.
Atieno said her daughter had spoken about her ambitions and was determined to pursue her studies.
Atieno recalled that her daughter had told her she wanted to become a lawyer after completing her education.
“She wanted to become a lawyer. When she finished her studies, she had told me that was what she wanted to pursue. She was a very good child and hardworking. She was also doing well in school,” the mother said.
The family said they were devastated by the sudden loss, having expected their daughter to complete her examinations and proceed with her education.
Alara Mixed Secondary School teacher George Agweno also shared details of what happened, saying the school administration received information that the candidate had become exhausted while sitting her examination.
Agweno said the deputy centre manager informed him that the student became tired as she approached the end of her second examination paper.
“When she was sitting for her second paper, according to the information I received from our deputy centre manager, she got tired just as she was approaching the end of the paper. The deputy centre manager then called the parents to come and pick her up and take her to hospital,” Agweno said.
The teacher’s account provides further details about the events at the examination centre before the candidate was taken to hospital.
However, the exact circumstances that led to her death have not been established, and it remains unclear what caused the severe chest pains she reportedly experienced.
The tragedy comes as more than one million candidates across the country undertake the written component of the 2026 KCSE examinations.
According to the Ministry of Education, 1,048,355 candidates registered for this year’s examinations, representing a 5.27 per cent increase from the 995,860 candidates who sat the examinations in 2025.
The written examinations officially began on Monday, November 2, 2026, with candidates sitting English Paper One in the morning and Chemistry Paper One in the afternoon.
The examinations are being conducted in more than 10,000 centres across the country and are scheduled to run until Friday, November 20, 2026.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government had put measures in place to ensure the examinations were conducted smoothly while safeguarding candidates and examination officials.
The death of the 17-year-old candidate has cast a shadow over the examination period, with her family left mourning a daughter who had hoped to pursue a career in law.
