By Wambua Love
Learning at Mbooni Girls Secondary School has been suspended indefinitely after a sudden outbreak of a suspected diarrheal illness left more than 200 students sick.
The outbreak has sparked panic among parents and renewed concerns over hygiene and student safety at the institution.
The outbreak, which reportedly began last Friday, saw learners develop symptoms including vomiting, severe headaches, stomach pains and diarrhea.
Students who spoke to the media claimed the situation was initially treated casually by the school administration, with affected learners allegedly being given painkillers as the illness spread rapidly through the school population.
By Saturday morning, however, the situation had reportedly worsened significantly, forcing the school management to seek urgent medical intervention as dozens of students fell ill almost simultaneously.
More than 143 students were rushed to Mbooni Sub-County Hospital for treatment, with at least one learner admitted for specialized medical care as health officers monitored the unfolding situation.
Some of the affected students raised fears that contaminated drinking water within the school could be the source of the illness, although authorities are yet to confirm the exact cause of the outbreak.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the school principal Agnes Ithiga were unsuccessful after she disconnected the call immediately after this writer identified himself.
However, Mbooni West Director of Education Benjamin Mouko confirmed the incident and said the decision to close the school was reached after the number of affected learners surpassed 200.
Mouko said education and health authorities had launched investigations to establish the exact cause of the illness, even as students were allowed to return home for further treatment and observation.
The closure, effected on May 19, has triggered anger among parents, some of whom accused the school administration of negligence, delayed communication and lack of transparency during the crisis.
Several parents claimed they only received text messages instructing them to collect their children after the situation had already escalated, alleging that some learners were already in critical condition by the time families were informed.
The incident now raises fresh questions over sanitation standards, emergency preparedness and the handling of student health crises in boarding schools across the region, as anxious parents await answers from investigators.
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