Eregi Girls High School Closed After Outbreak Of Strange Illness
The closure was arrived at even as Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is due to visit the institution in the next 'couple of hours'.
Marvin Chege 
The Ministry of Education has closed down St. Theresa's Eregi Girls' High School in Kakamega County following the outbreak of a mysterious disease.
The closure was arrived at even as Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu is due to visit the institution in the next 'couple of hours'.
In a statement, the closure of the girls' school affected Forms 1 to 3 students with only Form Four students remaining behind to prepare for the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, set to begin in late October.
Students at Eregi Girls' High School. /EREGI GIRLS
"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.
"Also present were officials from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Ministry of Education, Parents, the school's Board of Management (BOM) and the entire fraternity of the school," read the statement by the County Government of Kakamega.
Furthermore, the Kakamega County administration revealed that its health officials are working with the Ministry of Health to establish the cause of the mystery disease.
Students had gone on a rampage, demanding to be allowed to go home after 95 learners were admitted to various hospitals following an outbreak of a 'strange illness.'
The mysterious illness was said to have made the affected students unable to walk after developing weak joints.
"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," read the statement in part.
Blood samples from the 95 affected students have since been sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi and Kisumu counties for further analysis.
Health officials are monitoring the progress of the 95 students who are admitted at various hospitals in Kakamega County.
Kakamega County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education, Science and Technology Dr Bonface Okoth alongside the CECM Health Services Dr Benard Wesonga and other key stakeholders of the school pitched a tent at the school on Tuesday.
According to the County Executive, the incident prompted an urgent meeting and thorough discussions among all the stakeholders.
The Star reported that a medic at Ihugu Hospital revealed that preliminary laboratory tests had revealed that the students had elevated electrolytes, meaning that they had lost fluids.
Electrolytes are essential for basic life functioning, such as maintaining electrical neutrality in human body cells and generating and conducting action potentials in the nerves and muscles. Prolonged or severe diarrhoea and sweating can result in the loss of electrolytes.
![MP Kuria Kimani On Govt Controlling Media After Moving All Ads To KBC [VIDEO]](https://viraltea.co.ke/uploads/images/202405/image_140x98_66327d0cc61d2.jpg){kind=small}
