500 students hospitalized, two died at Mukumu Girls High School as ministry closes the school

 

Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls Secondary is a boarding school for female students in Kakamega County, Kenya.

A bacterial illness outbreak that may have resulted from tainted food and water has forced the closure of the school until further notice.

124 girls were admitted to the Kakamega County General Hospital last week as a result of the epidemic.

Bacteria from unsafe food and water has caused the deaths of two pupils and has sickened dozens more.

Because two students got sick and died after eating tainted food, Mukumu Girls' High School has been closed temporarily.

At least 500 kids became ill with bacterial diseases after eating the meal, according to a statement from Jared Obiero, the director of education for the Western Area.

Obiero says, "Mukumu Girls High School is closed for now because two students died and more than 500 other students got sick with bacterial diseases after eating poisoned food and drinking contaminated water."

In an announcement, the head of the institution, Fridah Nodlo, said that the two people had died in their own counties, Bungoma and Kakamega.

"Let us pray for our pupils as well as the Mukumu neighbourhood."

"If we have to treat a kid at home, we should bring them to the hospital so that we can keep an eye on them."

"We have suffered the loss of two students: Wendy Oyugi Amani, who died away in Bungoma, and Miriam Namajanja, who had not even returned from the break for the first half of the school term when she passed away this morning at their house in Navakholo.

"May God provide us grace and wisdom to help us get through this difficult time," the principal said.

The government has asked for an investigation to be started into the Mukumu Girls' management.

Even though officials, including Senator Bony Khalwale of Kakamega, want to take action against the institution's leadership, at least 30 students are fighting for their lives at St. Elizabeth's Mukumu Mission Hospital.

"I have gone to check on the pupils who are hospitalised in Mukumu and Kakamega, and every one of them is exhibiting signs of having food poisoning. We want to discover how the poison got into their food or drink," Khalwale added.

On April 1, 2023, Fred Ikana, the Shinyalu member of parliament, asked for the school to stay closed until the results of the public health experts' tests and the implementation of their suggestions.

"We will do all it takes to guarantee the safety of our pupils, including temporarily shutting down the school."

"We will follow the suggestions of the experts," the member of parliament added.

In May 2023, 28 pupils from the school were admitted to the hospital with symptoms including fever and diarrhoea.

In July, the school reported the deaths of two kids due to an outbreak of malaria.