At least sixty-eight (68) students of St. Thomas Aquinas Igumori Secondary School in Mbeere South, Embu County, have been hospitalised after a suspected food poisoning.
The Form Four students were rushed to Kiritiri Level 3 Hospital after consuming suspected contaminated cow head meat.
School principal Paul Mwaniki says the school slaughtered a bull on Wednesday, February 5 for a feast. However, by Thursday morning, the affected students began experiencing stomach complications, with suspicions pointing to the cow head meat.
Three of the of the affected students were referred to Embu Level 5 Hospital for specialised treatment, 11 of them remain admitted at Kiritiri Level 3 Hospital while the rest have since been discharged.
According to the principal, the meet eaten by students had been inspected and approved as safe for consumption by a local health officer before cooking.
“Today in the morning an incident was reported about students complaining of stomachache and some diarrhoeic. We slaughtered a bull on Wednesday morning, we ate it, the whole school together with the staff and then the head was boiled at night and we took it with the candidates yesterday,” he explained.
“As of yesterday, there were no complaints from those who took the red meat and the intestines on Wednesday but around 5am, I was told that some 11 students were complaining of stomach ache. I rushed them to the nearest hospital but later the number rose to more than 40 and it was overwhelming.”
However, a follow-up investigation by health officials from Embu County headquarters found that improper handling of the cow head meat during cooking led to its contamination, resulting in the food poisoning incident.
Embu County CEC for Health, Jamal Runyenjes, confirmed the food poisoning incident, stating that health officers are working diligently to ensure the admitted students recover quickly and resume their studies.
He commended the dedication of healthcare workers, noting that their swift response helped prevent the situation from worsening. The CEC also emphasized the need for strict food safety measures to avoid similar incidents in the future, urging institutions to adhere to proper food handling practices.
