Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls High School in Kakamega county is on the spot once again after it was shut down indefinitely following a disease outbreak that claimed three students by yesterday.

With the latest development, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has now demanded the replacement of the entire school administration led by the Principal Fridah Ndolo whom he accused of negligence.

There was a hive of activity at the institution located along the Kakamega-Kisumu Highway yesterday as hundreds of parents turned up to pick their children, many of who were weak while others wept uncontrollably.

The order to close the institution was communicated to the principal from the Ministry of Education headquarters, Nairobi.

But, interestingly, Ndolo was absent when Dr Khalwale stormed the institution in the morning to inspect, among other facilities, its water sources and the stores.

He said preliminary findings from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) pointed at contaminated water and food for the cause of the outbreak.

“The girls were fed on contaminated maize that contained aflatoxin. The water is equally poisonous and it is likely that it contains refuse from the adjacent sewer line,” he said.

The senator, who was accompanied by area Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda, urged the Ministry of Education to immediately dissolve the school’s Board of Management and expedite disciplinary action against the principal for alleged negligence.

They asked the Kakamega County Government to ensure that the school has access to clean and sufficient water for drinking and cleaning as a lasting solution to the problem.

Mukumu Girls has a population of over 1,500 students, majority of them were affected by the suspected food poisoning.

A total of 246 students were rushed to various hospitals last week after their conditions worsened while were given first aid at the school.

Some parents who had gotten wind of the situation and picked their children who complained of abdominal pains, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea. Two of the students succumbed to the illness in their respective homes during the weekend while the other passed on yesterday morning.

Twenty-six of the girls are still admitted at Kakamega Referral and St Elizabeth Mukumu Mission hospitals.

Similar incident

Parents who turned up at the institution yesterday complained that the administration had kept them in the dark adding that they only learnt of the situation through the media.

“We have been asking a lot of questions even during meetings but never get proper responses. Gaining access to the principal is nearly impossible,” said one parent.

This is the third tragedy to hit the institution in less than three years. A similar incident happened in 2021 when over twenty girls fell ill under unclear circumstances out of which two died.

In May last year, over 28 girls also got sick and the authorities never disclosed the kind of illness. No reports concerning the state of affairs have ever been made public. No disciplinary measures have ever been taken against the management.

A month later that year, two students died due to alleged the outbreak of malaria at the school.

Reports of the latest happenings at Mukumu Girls caused anxiety in neighbouring schools such as St Ignatius Mukumu Boys, St Peter’s Seminary-Mukumu, St Charles Lwanga, St Mary’s Mukumu Primary and St Augustine Ilala Boys Primary as they share some of the water sources and other facilities.

“We are alert and I have assured my boys that they should not panic. We are in control,” said Sylvester Ashioya, the senior principal of Mukumu Boys.

Shinyalu MP Fred Ikana said they had agreed to shut the school so as to solve out the situation. “We have unanimously agreed to suspend learning at Mukumu Girls until normalcy is restored,” he said.

Support staff told the People Daily that they had always complained about the quality of food and water served to the students in vain.