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Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls‘ alumnae association has called for immediate leadership changes in the school after three students and a boarding mistress died following an outbreak of waterborne disease.

In a press statement on Friday, April 14, the association said the current leadership of the school had done little to address the issue.

“In line with calls from many quarters including the local leadership, we urge the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, and other stakeholders in the Education and Public Health sectors, together with the County of Kakamega Education officials to immediately step in and find out the systemic challenges in the School if any, and if found culpable, the current Principal, Mrs. Fridah Ndolo and/or any other person should step aside and allow for proper investigations.

“We also recommend that leadership changes be instituted immediately so that the school can start afresh and the healing process for the students, teaching, and other auxiliary staff can be initiated,” the association chairperson Enid Busolo said in the statement.

Mukumu Girls’ boarding mistress dies

The school boarding mistress Juliana Mujeme won Thursday, April 13 succumbed to multiple organ failures.

The deceased’s family said the teacher complained of similar symptoms reported by the three students who passed on recently after allegedly being infected with bacteria from contaminated food and water.

“It started with damaged liver and kidney; then the two organs failed and later multiple organ failure,” the family said.

At the time of her death, she was in ICU at Lifecare Speciality Hospital in Eldoret town after being transferred from Oasis Hospital in Kakamega.

She is survived by a husband and two children.

This comes barely weeks after the school was closed and students sent home following an outbreak of a disease in the school.

Preliminary findings from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) pointed to contaminated water and food as the cause of the outbreak.