Kenya continues to experience frequent food poisoning outbreaks in schools, leading to hospitalisations and temporary closures. Despite swift responses to these incidents, experts argue that the focus remains misplaced on treatment rather than prevention.

Recurring Food Poisoning Incidents

  • In 2023, over 50 pupils at St Andrew's Primary School in Kitui were hospitalised after consuming possibly contaminated maize flour, with authorities seizing expired flour during investigations.
  • Nearly two decades ago, a major aflatoxin poisoning outbreak in eastern Kenya resulted in 317 illnesses and 125 deaths, many among schoolchildren.
  • In Bungoma, an outbreak linked to leptospirosis affected more than 800 learners and staff, exposing lapses in environmental health monitoring.

Concerns Over Policy Direction

The Kenya Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Union (KEHPHPU) warns that these outbreaks reflect a weakening preventive health system. The union criticises the draft Kenya School Health Policy 2026–2035 for emphasizing clinical care over environmental health roles.

KEHPHPU Secretary General Brown Ashira highlights that while clinical staff treat illnesses, public health officers are legally tasked with inspecting kitchens, testing water, overseeing sanitation, and conducting disease surveillance in schools.

However, the draft policy prioritizes community health practitioners and does not clearly define the role of public health officers or community health assistants, potentially sidelining their preventive expertise.

Calls for Integration and Prevention

The union urges formal inclusion of public health officers in school health structures as School Health Officers or Public Health Officer Community Health Extension Workers. This integration aligns with the broader Bora Afya primary healthcare reforms.

Brown Ashira stresses that investing in prevention is more sustainable and cost-effective than treating outbreaks after they occur. Routine inspections and monitoring can identify hazards early, preventing emergencies.

Ongoing Challenges

Kenya continues to record periodic food poisoning cases linked to contaminated food, poor hygiene, unsafe water, and inadequate sanitation in schools. Public health officers argue these risks are within their scope to manage before children fall ill.

Meanwhile, public health officers remain on strike nationwide, demanding better recognition, career progression, and integration of Universal Health Coverage workers into permanent roles. The Ministry of Health has yet to respond to these concerns.

For public health practitioners, every school outbreak underscores the critical need for preventive measures, which often go unnoticed until failures occur.