Narok deputy governor rushed to hospital after collapsing while reading speech at graduation ceremony

There was anxiety at the Maasai Mara University graduation on Thursday after Narok Deputy Governor fainted as she read a speech.

Ms Evelyne Aruasa was a few minutes into her speech when she went silent for a few seconds, became dizzy and dropped her head on the microphone. She then stumbled and fainted.

Her bodyguard rushed to support her and assisted her away from the podium as she staggered.

The Deputy Governor was delivering a speech on behalf of the County Governor at the third graduation ceremony of the institution, when the incident happened.

The atmosphere immediately became tense, as guests and graduands all went dead silent following the incident.

Security officers together with the Deputy Governor’s bodyguard rushed her to an ambulance which was on standby and rushed her to the university dispensary where she was resuscitated before she was rushed to hospital.

County Police Commander Abdi Galgalo was among the officers who handled the situation. Sources said she was rushed to a hospital in Nairobi.

Ms Aruasa had arrived at the graduation square barely 30 minutes before she started addressing the graduands and guests.

Before the incident happened, the Deputy Governor had commended former Cabinet Minister Mr William Ole Ntimama who had just spoken before her, citing his contribution to improvement of education standards in the county.

She called on public universities to promote cohesion and integration among students and not divide them along ethnic lines.

Earlier, Mr Ntimama had stated that the university is meant to be an institution of higher learning and not breading grounds for ethnicity.

Only the graduating 744 students attended the ceremony as the institution recently sent away the rest of the students after chaos broke at the institution.

The graduation ceremony was presided over by the University Chancellor Dr Phillip Ngunjiri.

FELT DIZZY

Narok county governor Samuel Tunai later announced that his deputy had been attended to by doctors at the Nairobi Hospital and that she was well.

Speaking in Lemek Primary School in Narok West, Mr Tunai said she is still to undergo more tests to establish the cause of the incident.

“She just felt dizzy and the doctors are working out what exactly caused it. Fatigue cannot be ruled out, which is normal,” said Mr Tunai.

He said he called flying doctors from Nairobi Hospital who flew her to Nairobi for specialised checkup after she was given first Aid in the University health facility and Narok County Referral Hospital.

He dispelled fears that she is in any danger saying: “She is okay, and we have spoken with her as doctors attended to her, and I am on my way to Nairobi to see her.”