Nakhumicha: What caused disease outbreak at Mukumu Girls
Students at Mukumu Girls High School are likely to have been exposed to contaminated water for a prolonged period, leading to a disease outbreak in March, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha has said.
She said an environmental assessment conducted at the school showed the parallel flow of sewage, spring water, and piped water posed a great risk of contamination of water used at the institution.
Improper waste disposal and blockage of sewage flow leading to overflow and spillage into the spring and staff quarters were also a point of exposure, the CS said.
Nakhumicha said the school infrastructure was also found to be strained by the high number of students.
“For example, all the hostels were having more than 100 percent of the required bed capacity leading to overcrowding,” she said in her submissions to the National Assembly.
Nakhumicha appeared before the National Assembly to explain the circumstances that led to the outbreak of the unknown disease in Mukumu Girls High School in Kakamega county in March.
Three students and one teacher died, while more than 100 students were hospitalized.
The CS said the investigating team collected various human, food, and water samples.
“The laboratory results for human samples including stool, blood, and postmortem tissue cultures confirmed the existence of multiple disease-causing microorganisms,” she said.
The predominant organisms were the enterotoxigenic E coli (ETEC) and Salmonella typhi.
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Nakhumicha said infection with salmonella and E coli occurs through ingestion of water or food contaminated with typhoidal salmonella and E coli, with asymptomatic carriers playing an important role in contamination and onward transmission.
“Risk factors for the transmission of the isolated microorganisms included overcrowding, poor status of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure, and poor food-handling practices,” she said.
The CS said the government has put in place various measures to ensure the affected students receive adequate medical treatment and to prevent any future outbreaks in schools across the country.
These include the treatment of drinking and cooking water within the school premises and ensuring medical certification of all food handlers in the school.
As part of long-term measures, the ministry has enhanced disease surveillance across schools in Kenya, through the subcounty disease surveillance coordinators.
“Community engagement activities were undertaken around Khayega market on the safety of the maize being sold and the said maize is not from Mukumu Girls.”
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The ministry has also enhanced advocacy activities in community forums such as churches and community barazas on the prevention of waterborne diseases.
The ministry is also working with other line ministries, including the Ministry of Education, to enforce the implementation of the National School Health Policy and the Comprehensive School Health Programme to improve food safety and safeguard the health of students and staff.
Already, a store clerk who was sacked by the school for allegedly accepting contaminated cereals that claimed the lives of three students and a teacher has sued the school for wrongful dismissal.
Chrisantus Mulimi, who was sacked on June 28, 2023, was employed by the school as a store clerk on October 7, 2017.
He has named school principal Jane Mmbone as the respondent in her capacity as the secretary to the school board of management.
He wants the court to make a declaration that his purported sacking by the school was unprocedural, arbitrary, punitive, and unlawful.
Nakhumicha: What caused disease outbreak at Mukumu Girls