Congestion in high schools with few toilets is a ticking time bomb for diseases, Homa Bay Kessha chairman Dickens Bula has said.
Outbreaks at Mukumu Girls and Butere Boys high schools have killed one teacher and three students, and left hundreds of students sick.
Bula on Friday linked the disease outbreaks to a shortage of housing and learning facilities in learning institutions.
“Students become at risk and exposed to diseases when there is congestion,” Bula said.
“Many schools have students that supersede the available facilities.”
The Orero Boys High School principal, who chairs the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, was speaking during a mentorship programme at Gendia Boys High School.
The programme was organised by Homa Bay Woman Representative Joyce Osogo.
Bula said many schools host thousands of students who share limited resources that sometimes make them unable to fight disease outbreaks.
He said delayed funding to schools has also hurt the ability to equip the learning institutions.
The Kessha chairman told parents and guardians to monitor what their children eat, where they sleep and what they do in school.
“Sanitation shouldn’t be left to school management alone. It’s important for all education stakeholders to play their roles,” he said.
Bula said cases of disease outbreaks are an eye-opener to education stakeholders and the institutions, which are still struggling with hygiene.
His counterpart from Gendia Boys High School James Okeno told health professionals in schools to give faster and necessary advice whenever danger is detected.
He said they should be able to conduct first aid to students whenever they fall sick before they are taken to hospital.
“Complicated cases should be referred to the nearest health facility,” Okeno said.
Osogo used the opportunity to distribute 10,000-litre water tanks to improve hygiene in schools.
Homa Bay has more than 350 public secondary schools.
Schools that benefit will use the tanks to collect rainwater and use it later.
Diseases such as cholera, dysentery and rotavirus are linked to poor sanitation.
Sanitary pads were also given to schoolgirls.
“We’re giving tanks to schools for students to access water with ease,” Osogo said.
“Sanitation and personal hygiene are necessary for smooth learning in schools.”