Families of pupils who drowned at Diani compensated

An insurance company has compensated the families of seven Murang’a County pupils who drowned in the Indian Ocean at Diani in August.

Speaking during the presentation of the cheques at the school, Pacis Insurance Company’s head of marketing, Joseph Mwendia, said parents received cheques of Sh80,000 each, which was the personal insurance cover for each student

The seven families received a total of Sh560,000 from the insurance company which had insured St. Martin Boys Boarding Primary School.

Mwendia said they had visited the school to offer their sympathy and deliver the compensation that could go into payment for expenses incurred during the students’ funerals.

The deceased were among other standard eight pupils who were on tour to Mombasa for five days.

According to eyewitnesses, eight students had gone for swimming at Bidi Badu Beach in Diani when an abrupt tide struck, drowning seven of them.

The incident cut short the tour for 56 pupils who were accompanied by four teachers and two subordinate staff.

The trip was an annual event in the school, which is among the top performers in the county.

One of the school’s parents, Mr Muiruri Njuguna, termed the incident as unfortunate and Gods deed, saying the school was affected by the death of young pupils.

While addressing the press at the school compound, Mr Muiruri said life has not been easy after the loss of their lastborn son, Cyrus Mureu, who was among the seven victims.

“We have been consoled by friends and relatives but am urging other fellow parents who lost their children to bear with the situation and accept God’s plans.”

He noted that with the compensation they were happy and felt comforted, saying it showed that they had not been forgotten.

He also urged other institutions to follow suit and insure their students just in case of any incidents.

Meanwhile, the school’s director, Brother Timothy Chege, said they appreciated the overwhelming support they received after the tragedy, adding that they were grateful to the insurance company for honoring its pledge.

“All through we have been in counseling sessions that are still ongoing and the counselors have given us a clean bill of health.”

Brother Timothy noted that the pupils are slowly healing, adding that this could be reflected in the evaluation exams that they have been doing jointly with other schools.

He added that the boys are prepared for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the school is expecting good results.