KAKAMEGA, Kenya, Apr 19 – A committee formed to oversee implementation of recommendations for improved sanitation to guarantee safety of children, has proposed that Mukumu Girls High School re-opens from 2nd May, but in phases.
The Committee which is chaired by Western Regional Commissioner Irungu Macharia agreed that Form Fours will open First on May 2, undergo mandatory testing through a team of doctors that will be on the ground before they settle down.
The Students will also undergo both group and individual counselling and monitoring of their health status.
A day will be skipped, then form threes will re-open. They will also go through the same process of testing, group and individual counselling as Form Four. The process will be repeated for form two’s and form one’s.
Before they re-open, Parents will be invited to the school on 29th April in a meeting attended by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
They will be allowed to inspect the school infrastructure that was improved and assess for themselves the safety measures put in place. They will also undergo group counseling by a team of seasoned psychologists.
The Regional Commissioner said currently restructuring of the school is ongoing with the construction of a borehole, treatment of water, and preparation to replace asbestos roofing with modern iron sheets.
The Committee also reported that the public health is set to advise on how to dispose the food items that are in the store to pave way for purchase of a new consignment.
The ongoing works are going simultaneously with counseling of staff, non-staff and medical assessment and certification of food handlers.
Staff members were counseled on Tuesday, while non-staff members are set to undergo counseling on Wednesday. The county government of Kakamega has deployed a county psychologist with a team to carry out the exercise.
The Regional Commissioner also said that the committee is still monitoring the health status of all students through contact with their parents asking those who feel sick to go to hospital for treatment.
He urged parents and politicians to support the school, visit to see the ongoing progress and make recommendations on what they want done to guarantee safety of children.
The Committee also comprises of representatives from the County Public Health, Medical doctor, Parents Association, Teachers Union Officials, Kenya National Environment Management Authority, Lake Victoria North Water Services Agency, Water Resource Authority, Teachers Service Commission, Auditors, regional Procurement officer, Regional CID Commander, Regional County Police Commander, Regional Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit Commander, Catholic Church representative, County Education Board Representative among other officers.
