17 Nguumo students test positive for Covid in Kibwezi

Seventeen students from Nguumo Secondary School in Kibwezi West, Makueni County, have tested positive for Covid-19.

Makueni Health executive Dr. Andrew Mulwa on Tuesday said it started with one student who exhibited signs of the virus.

Contact tracing efforts showed 16 other Form IV students also have the virus.

“Today we got results for the 16 students. Last week we had tested one student from the same school after exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms and it turned out positive,” said Mulwa

He said they have put in place all measures to ensure those who tested positive are placed in quarantine.

“We are in the process of doing further contact tracing in the school and take tests on all employees in the school including the teachers to ensure we have exhaustively addressed the matter.” 

The school is located at Mbui Nzau Market on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway. Makueni county has sounded an alert that Covid-19 cases are spreading at a high rate due to its proximity to the busy highway.

The highway connects Kenya to the rest of East and Central African countries where hundreds of trucks from Mombasa pass.

At the same time, Dr Mulwa said also in isolation are 20 remandees who tested positive at the Kibwezi police station.