Gov't Shuts Down School after Students Test Positive for Covid-19

Uhuru Primary School in Ol Joro Orok Constituency, Nyandarua County has been closed after eight students tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to County Health Executive John Mungai, 70 students from the institution visited a dispensary in the area portraying Covid-19 symptoms, and after testing, eight were found to be positive.

“The eight that tested positive were from the 20 that visited our health facility on Monday. The samples were collected after our surveillance team got suspicious.

 “We have mobilised and dispatched our officers to carry out polymerase chain reaction tests. We have also taken samples from the school water storage tanks for further analysis.

According to Dr. Mungai, upper primary pupils (class five to eight) will report back to school on June 21, while their lower primary counterparts are out for ten days.

Dr. Mungai has called urged the Ministry of Education to ensure all schools strictly adhere to the set Covid-19 guidelines to prevent in such future occurrences.

The closure of Uhuru Primary school is the first such incident in the region and comes one week after students returned to school from their mid-term break.

Meanwhile, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha on Tuesday announced that candidates who sat for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams in 2020 will join Form One on August 2, 2021.

According to the CS, a total of 585,942 girls compared to 585,323 boys joining Form one.

“We have 17,406 girls and 18,848 joining national schools this year…We have strictly applied the principles of equity, fairness, merit, transparency, inclusiveness, and affirmative action in the form one selection and that is why the placement has taken longer,” Magoha divulged.