A 2026 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidate from Gianchere Friends Senior School in Kisii County has lost her newborn baby shortly after delivery but continued sitting her national examinations at the hospital where she was admitted.
The candidate, whose identity has not been disclosed, was rushed to Keumbu Sub-County Hospital on Monday night after developing severe labour pains. She subsequently delivered a baby girl at the facility but the newborn died shortly after birth.
Despite the loss, the candidate was reported to be in stable condition and continued with her KCSE examinations from the hospital, where arrangements had been made to facilitate her participation in the national assessment.
She was sitting the Christian Religious Education (CRE) paper at the health facility, with security arrangements put in place to oversee the examination process.
Police officers led by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Keumbu Police Station visited the hospital following the incident and established that the candidate had successfully delivered a baby girl, who later died.
The officers also established that the student was in stable condition and was continuing with her examinations while receiving medical attention.
The hospital-based arrangement enabled her to undertake the scheduled paper without returning to the examination centre at her school, allowing her to continue with the national assessment while recovering from childbirth.
The incident comes as candidates across the country continue with the 2026 KCSE examinations, which began with practical and oral assessments before the written papers.
Candidates who experience medical emergencies during the examination period may require special arrangements to ensure they can complete their papers while receiving the necessary medical care.
Similar situations have been reported in previous examination years, with candidates sitting their national examinations from hospitals after going into labour.
In November 2024, an 18-year-old candidate from Laliat Secondary School in Kericho County sat her KCSE examinations at Kericho County Referral Hospital after delivering a baby hours before the examinations began.
In another incident reported in November 2023, four KCSE candidates in Machakos County sat their examinations at Kangundo Level 4 Hospital after giving birth.
However, the Kisii incident has a different outcome following the death of the newborn shortly after delivery. The candidate's identity has not been made public and further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the baby's death are yet to be established.
