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Thirty-eight inmates at the Thika Main Prison have contracted cholera after an outbreak of the disease in the past week.
According to Prison-in-Charge Karani Limanye, one is still admitted at Thika Level 5 Hospital, nine are recuperating, while the remaining are stable.
Further, he noted that thirty-six are men while two are women.
The disease was transmitted to the facility by four offenders sentenced at the Ruiru law court on April 8.
After receiving a water tank from Thika MP Alice Nganga, Karani claimed that the illness first affected one convict before spreading to others and bringing other inmates from Ruiru jail to the institution.
The officer claimed that although the crisis has been contained, individuals affected have been quarantined and are being watched by the facility doctor. One case, he said, was active.
“The cases came from Ruiru court where offenders were admitted at the prison with cholera symptoms. Then it spread to other inmates. Luckily, we have no fatality because of our prison doctor who helped stabilize the patients before the situation worsened,” he said.
According to Ms Nganga, the tank would improve hygiene, which is essential for preventing the spread of the disease.
She encouraged the prison management to improve the facility's high hygiene standards.
She urged the local water provider Thiwasco to guarantee water flows freely throughout Thika without rationing to stop the spread outside the jail.
“We are happy that the situation has been contained and as stakeholders, we hope that a high sense of hygiene is maintained at the facility. We also hope there will be no water rationing in Thika town to curb further spread, “said Ms Nganga.
