Roots Academy in Nakuru’s Greensted Estate has taken measures to offer counseling to pupils grieving over a classmate's death.

Jasmine Njoki,12, a grade 6 pupil at the school died in unclear circumstances in what preliminary reports indicate that she was defiled before being murdered.

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu on phone Roots Academy Deputy Head teacher Cleophas Mutai termed the death as a big blow not only to the parents but the entire Roots Academy School fraternity.

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According to Mr Mutai majority of the classmates were her close friends and they shared a lot; hence counselling was key in trying to address the trauma that comes with the death.

“As an administration we felt it necessary to have a counselling session for the pupils of Grade 6 Blue- a class that Jasmine was a member of. We therefore made a communication to the parents on the same,” Mr Mutai said.

Mtaa Wangu has established that a counselling session for the class of 35 pupils took place on September 20 with a professional counsellor taking them through the session.

The school’s Deputy Head teacher added that the administration is also taking seriously the security of the learners moving forward.

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Noting that the school has both Day and Boarding section, he says engagements are on with the parents of Days school learners to ensure proper mechanisms of picking their children from where the school bus drops them.

This, he adds, will go a long way in addressing the issue of security for the learners and ensure every learner gets home safely.

“We are now engaging parents of Day school learners in our school so that we can have proper mechanisms of picking and dropping them,” he says.

The school's deputy headteacher added that the administration was also taking the safety of the learners seriously.

According to Mr Mutai discussions are underway with parents of day students to ensure proper mechanisms are in place to pick up their children from where the school bus drops them off.

This, he adds, will go a long way in addressing the issue of safety for learners and ensure that every learner gets home safely.

"We are now involving the parents of the day students in our school so that we can have proper mechanisms for picking them up and dropping them off," he reveals.

The lifeless body of Jasmine was found by locals on Tuesday evening in a thicket some 800m from her parents’ home after reports of her missing went around on Tuesday afternoon when the girl failed to report at home from school as usual.

Police have already launched investigations into the incident that has left the entire Leleshwa village of Kasambara in Gilgil sub county in shock.

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Roots Academy holds counselling sessions for the classmates of a 12-year-old girl who was found murdered

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Pristone Mambili