A gas leak at Makande Girls Secondary School on Thursday morning led to the hospitalization of eight Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who fainted after exposure. Five of these students remain under care at Makadara General Hospital in Mombasa.

The media reported live from the scene, where the gas leak disrupted the Kiswahili examination as the fumes spread across the exam area. Investigations are underway, with suspicions pointing to nearby businesses whose waste disposal practices could have contributed to the leak.

Ninety students are registered for the exams at Makande Girls, and 84 were relocated to nearby Makande Boys Secondary School to complete their examination. The five students who are still in the hospital are expected to be discharged by the afternoon, at which time they will complete the missed exam. The Kiswahili timetable for the day included a language paper in the morning and Insha in the afternoon.

Parents have been assured that the students are safe, with authorities containing the affected area. Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of incidents that have marred this year’s KCSE exams. Earlier in the week, a candidate in Meru died just before the exams began, and on Tuesday, a student in Mumias collapsed and passed away just before the start of his mathematics exam.