Eregi Girls High School closed

By Peter Ochieng

St. Theresa's Eregi Girls High School in Kakamega County has been closed.

The shutdown is as a result of an outbreak of an unknown disease in the school.

The school administration said the decision was arrived at after a meeting with county government officials over the disease outbreak.

Students from form one to three have taken a one week break to pave way for investigations into the disease outbreak. However, form fours will remain in school as they continue to prepare for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), which is just around the corner.

"The BOM, Ministry of Education officials, TSC representatives, and the school's sponsor agreed to allow Form 1, 2, and 3 students to break temporarily and are expected to report back next week once the situation has been carefully assessed and necessary measures put in place to prevent any recurrence of a similar situation," reads in part a statement from the school.

95 students have reportedly been affected by the unknown disease.

Learners have reported inability to walk due to weak limbs.

Blood samples from the 95 affected students have been sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi and Kisumu, for further analysis.

The county government of Kakamega has pledged to ensure the safety of all the students.

"The County government commits to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in learning institutions and assures that efforts will be made to create a conducive learning environment where students can thrive academically, free from disruptions and harm."

In April, Mukumu Girls and High School and Butere Boys High School were shutdown over disease outbreak in the institutions.