Elijah Zachary Lemaiyan, 12, was turned away by Naramat Academy when the school learnt that he is HIV positive.
According to his mother, Evelyn Simaloi, her son had already secured an admission in class six at the school but she was told that there was no vacancy when she disclosed his HIV status.
To ascertain if the allegation was true, KTN’s Betty Okari posed as a parent and called the school’s head teacher asking whether her son would be admitted to the school. To her surprise, ‘her son’ was offered a place in the same class.
Betty’s team then got a boy who posed as a pupil in need of a place at the school. He sat for the same interview as Elijah and was asked to report in two days after being granted an admission letter plus the fee structure.
Elijah’s mother later pleaded with Mr. Odero, the school head, for a place but she was told that the class was completely packed.
When KTN approached the school’s administration, they denied the discrimination allegations.