25 students rushed to hospital over cholera scare

Some 25 students from Mama Ngina Secondary School in Rongai Sub-county were rushed to Langalanga cholera treatment centre after they complained of severe abdominal pain and diarrhea.

However, doctors at the facility who conducted rapid laboratory tests said the students had suffered food poisoning and not cholera.

Nakuru County is experiencing an upsurge in reported cholera cases with 15 people reported dead and over 150 treated at various hospitals in the county.

Deputy Director of Health in Nakuru County Daniel Wainaina said the centre conducted rapid tests and and found the students had food poisoning.

Some students are said to have vomited at night immediately after taking supper at the school around 8pm while 10 had complained of severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

"The students were attended to at the cholera rescue centre with severe abdominal pain and diarrhea but none was found to have cholera after rapid examinations," said Dr Wainaina.

Wainaina said the hospital is treating the students for food poisoning and that their condition is stable.

The county has also sent public health officers to collect food samples at the school and inspect the kitchen.

GUARDS STRIKE

Meanwhile, operations at the country's largest geothermal plants in Olkaria, Naivasha were paralysed for over three hours following a strike by guards from a private security firm guarding the institution.

The over 200 guards from Lavington Security blocked the main gates to the power plants completely paralysing operations.

Workers reporting for duty had to wait outside the gates before anti-riot police lobbed tear gas canisters and fired in the air to disperse the demonstrating guards.

The guards went on strike accusing the management of failing to pay salaries on time and citing poor working conditions.

The company's Security Manager David Kigen downplayed the incident saying the workers were misled.