Mukumu Girls and Butere Boys, two of Kenya’s top-performing schools, have announced their reopening date following their closure due to a disease outbreak.
The Government has set May 2, 2023, as the reopening date for both schools.
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The announcement was made by a multi-agency team overseeing the implementation of recommendations aimed at fixing water, sanitation, and infrastructure at the two institutions.
The decision to reopen the two schools was made following the successful completion of the repairs and rehabilitation works necessary to prevent the spread of the disease that led to their closure.
The government’s multi-agency team has been working around the clock to ensure that the schools are reopened in the next 14 days, as directed by Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu.
Mukumu Girls High School and Butere Boys Reopening Dates
While all students of Butere Boys will be required to report back on May 2, those from Mukumu Girls will have a phased reopening, with form four candidates expected back on the same date.
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The multi-agency team led by Western Regional Commissioner (RC) Irungu Macharia, has resolved to invite parents to a meeting on April 28th, to be graced by the CS education, ahead of the phased reopening on May 2, 2023.
The team has also resolved that form four candidates will report back on May 2, form threes on May 4th, form twos on May 6th, and form ones on Monday, May 8th, 2023.
The team will undertake mandatory medical checks on all students before being allowed back into the school to ascertain their condition and offer guidance and counseling.
At Mukumu Girls, the team has disconnected the school’s water reservoir, and digging of a new water borehole is set to be completed in the next 10 days.
A water aquifer will be installed at the borehole to ensure water quality and safety after the outbreak of the disease attributed to contamination of water.
Additionally, the team has addressed some of the challenges that include refurbishment of the kitchen, replacement of dining table with aluminum material, and redesigning of the dormitory doors to open outwards.
At Butere Boys, most of the major issues have been addressed after students of the school also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
The government has set aside 30 million shillings towards the construction of a new dormitory to address congestion. All pending issues have been addressed, and all students are expected to report back on May 2.
During a visit to the school last Saturday, the Education CS directed the immediate formation of a technical committee comprising both national and county government officials to address urgent environmental concerns at the two institutions and have learners back in two weeks’ time.
The technical team comprises National Administration, Department of Public Health, the Lake Victoria North Water Works Development Agency, Water Resource Authority, National Environment Management Agency, Ministry of Education, Parents Association, Teachers Union officials among others.
The Department of Public Health has confiscated all the food stuffs in the schools’ store as arrangements are made to have new stocks. The multi-agency team is also expected to oversee the replacement of 6 buildings with asbestos roofing materials that are believed to be hazardous to the environment to modern iron sheets.
The reopening of the two schools comes as a relief to parents and students who have been affected by the closure.
The government has reassured parents that the health and safety of their children remain a top priority, and all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure their safety.
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