Secondary and primary school heads in Kakamega County have been urged to promote good hygiene practices in their schools to prevent outbreak of diseases relating to poor sanitation.
Speaking during a development tour of Lugari Sub County, Kakamega governor Fernandes Barasa regretted the recent incidents at Mukumu girls and Butere boys high schools which has led to the closure of the two schools with Mukumu recording deaths of three students and one teacher in an unhygienic related diseases.
“We closed Mukumu Girls High School due to hygiene issues. So far we have lost three girls and a teacher from the school. We also closed Butere Boys due to similar sanitation issues.” Barasa said noting that they are still
monitoring the situation.
The Governor further disclosed that they have established a joint technical committee comprising of county and national government officials to look into the two schools public health matters so that it can identify the challenges affecting them.
He stated: “We want to know if it is inadequate infrastructure we deal with it. We are also waiting for results from Kenya Medical Research Institute to establish the root cause of the deaths.
“But I want to caution headmasters and principals. Please let us maintain proper sanitation in our schools. Let us ensure the food we give to the learners is certified and those preparing the food must have proper medical records and certificates.
“We cannot compromise on the health of our pupils and students.”
Barasa said that as leaders they will always be at the forefront to ensure schools have proper infrastructure that safeguards the learners’ sanitation.
He said despite health being a devolved function the county will work closely with the national government to mitigate the risks associated with poor sanitation.
Last week the government closed Sacred Heart’s Mukumu Girls High School after over 120 students were hospitalized and two succumbed to suspected food and water poisoning. Days later Butere Boys High School was also closed after over 100 students complained of diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, who visited Sacred Heart’s Mukumu Girls last week in the company of Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang, ruled out an outbreak of cholera based on the preliminary findings.
She said more samples of food and water had been taken to the government chemist in Kisumu and to the National Public HealthLaboratories in Nairobi for further investigation.
She however disclosed that from preliminary investigations the samples sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute laboratory in Kisumu tested positive for a bacterial infection linked to gastroenteritis (a bacterial infection that causes diarrhoea and vomiting).
She added that some students had been infected with salmonella typhii (typhoid causing bacteria) and amebiasis (a parasitic infection that causes stomach pain and diarrhea).