68 Students Hospitalised After Eating Contaminated Meat at St. Thomas Aquinas Igumori Secondary School

68 form four students from St. Thomas Aquinas Igumori Secondary School in Mbeere South, Embu, have been rushed to the hospital after allegedly consuming contaminated beef.

The students were rushed to Kiritiri Level 4 Hospital to receive treatment. However, three students moved to Embu Level 5 hospital for specialised care.

According to the school principal, the students ate the meat from a bull that was slaughtered on Wednesday, February 5.

The bull was slaughtered to celebrate the good performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) released last month.

The principal told the media that Form Four students and two teachers feasted on the head of the animal and got unwell. They are said to have eaten the meat on Thursday.

Authorities are investigating the source of the contamination while medical teams work to stabilise the affected students.

In April 2023, Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls High School in Kakamega County faced a severe health crisis when over 100 students were admitted to the hospital with symptoms including fever and diarrhoea.

Subsequent investigations by the Ministry of Health revealed that the illnesses were due to food and water contamination, with laboratory tests identifying bacterial infections such as Salmonella typhi and amebiasis. Tragically, the outbreak resulted in the deaths of two students.

Shortly thereafter, Butere Boys High School, also in Kakamega County, was closed indefinitely following a suspected food poisoning incident. Approximately 100 students exhibited cholera-like symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea.

The school’s administration promptly sent the affected students home and initiated consultations with public health officials to determine the cause of the outbreak. The closure was deemed necessary to safeguard the health of the students while awaiting a comprehensive report from health authorities.

In July 2023, Ikonge Girls High School in Nyamira County experienced a similar incident when 138 students were hospitalised after complaining of acute diarrhoea and vomiting. The symptoms were believed to have been caused by consuming contaminated food or water.

The affected students were admitted to various hospitals within the county, where they received treatment. Health officials collected samples for laboratory analysis to ascertain the exact cause of the illnesses, while the school management worked closely with authorities to address the situation and prevent future occurrences.