At least 68 students from St. Thomas Aquinas Igumori Secondary School in Embu County were rushed to the hospital after eating contaminated meat.
The students reportedly ate meat from a bull slaughtered at the school on Wednesday as part of a motivation event to push them to work hard in their studies.
Symptoms and Hospitalization
After eating the meat, students started experiencing severe stomach pains and diarrhea. On Friday, they were taken to Kiritiri Sub-County Hospital for medical attention.
✅ 55 students were treated and discharged.
✅ 13 students were admitted for further observation.
✅ 3 of the 13 admitted students were later transferred to Embu Referral Hospital after their condition worsened.
Two teachers who also ate the same meat fell ill but were treated and discharged.
Cause of the Contamination
According to principal Paul Mwaniki, the meat was inspected by a qualified meat inspector before consumption. However, only Form Four students and two teachers who ate the bull’s head fell sick.
“It was the head that was contaminated due to poor handling, that’s why only Form Fours and two teachers were affected,” Mwaniki said.
Public health officials launched an investigation and found out that the bull’s head had been mishandled, that’s why it was contaminated.
Swift Medical Response and Student Safety
✅ County Director of Education was informed.
✅ Medics responded fast, no one died.
✅ Embu Health Executive Jamal Runyenjes assured the public that every thing is under control and asked them to remain calm.
“There is no cause for alarm, students are safe,” Mwaniki said.
Health officials have since emphasized the importance of food handling in schools to prevent such cases in future.