Nicholas Kairithia, a KCSE candidate who died a day before the national exams, succumbed to a rare liver condition, the family has revealed.
Kairithia was set to write his KCSE exams at Kamaroo Day Secondary School in Tigania West but died on Saturday after a long battle with frequent stomach pains.
Naomi Kendi, the mother said her son has been complaining of stomachaches and had sought treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital for further check-up where doctors discovered a rare condition.
“Since January, my son started feeling unwell. He complained of stomachaches. I took him to Kenyatta National Hospital and doctors told me they discovered a rare growth on his liver. They proposed for surgery. But this couldn’t happen before further tests and chest scans were done. They told me they had never seen such a growth in the liver,” Kendi said.
The mother said after doctors removed specimens of his ailing body part for further analysis at Agha Khan Hospital in October this year, the results were devastating.
“Doctors told me, the condition was at a stage where they could do nothing. On Saturday evening around 5pm despite him showing some signs of recovery, he succumbed to the disease,” Kendi told journalists at her home as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Kendi said his son had big dreams of becoming an electrical engineer.
She said even when the pains persisted, Kairithia declared he would sit for his exams even in an hospital bed.
“This year, just after registering his exams, he did not attend class. He had told me, even if he would be very sick to walk to school, we could have him admitted in hospital so that he can write his exams from hospital bed. He said even if he failed, he could pursue a course in electrical because was extremely skillful especially on wiring,” she said.
Kairithia’s brother Amos Kaimenyi appealed to well wishers to help their family because they had sold their only land to cater for medication of his brother.
“I had committed myself to take care of him during his exam period. I would serve him fruits and energy giving foods to see him overcome and perform but it is now too late,” Kaimenyi said.
