Mukumu Girls Principal Blames Media for School Closure Following Students Death exposé
Fridah Ndolo, the principal of Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls, blames the media for the school’s closure following the deaths of two students.
Tuesday, in a statement to the parents, Ndolo accused the media of creating a toxic environment following the revelation that two students had died as a result of a disease outbreak.
According to Ndolo, it has been decided that students take a break in order to heal from the toxic environment that has already been created by the media, following consultations with the directors of the Ministry of Education and TSC directors.
“Ensure your daughter receives medical attention and reports with a medical report on any underlying issue,” Ndolo wrote in a notice to parents.
However, some parents disagreed with the notice’s content, claiming that the principal was shifting blame rather than addressing the issue at hand.
One parent raised their concern in the school’s Whatsapp group, asking how the media had contributed to the infections that led to the deaths of their daughters.
The parent stated that the media only revealed what the school wished to conceal.
Another parent queried why the media was being blamed instead of acknowledging the unfolding events that resulted in the closure of schools, deaths, mass infections, learning disruptions, and trauma to children.
The parent urged the Parents Association to investigate because this was not the first time that a student had died at the school.
Another parent commented that it would have been wise for the administration to acknowledge that they are collaborating with the Ministry of Health, particularly the Public Health department, to identify the cause of the infection and implement measures to prevent its recurrence.
They noted that the tone of the letter did not recognize that the illness was due to food poisoning, which has been alleged by several sources.
Senator Dr. Boni Khalwale of Kakamega criticized the school’s principal on his Facebook page after the media became involved in the school’s problems.
“In her letter to parents following the closure of our iconic Mukumu Girls High School, the principal, unblinking, blames what she calls toxic media for the closure of the school! If impunity had a face.”
Jared Obiero, regional director of education, closed the school for one month on Monday following the deaths of two students.
After a bacterial outbreak, 30 additional patients remain hospitalized at the Kakamega county general hospital and the Mukumu mission hospital.
Obiero stated that the closure was in the best interests of the students and the institution.
Mukumu Girls Principal Blames Media for School Closure Following Students Death exposé