School fumes at Satanism claims

Biriiri High School has been hit by claims of Satanism which forced government to dispatch senior environmental officials and doctors to investigate the claims.

More than 20 students were taken ill but United Baptist Church (UBC) dismissed Satanism claims saying the affected girls suffered a virus which had hit the school.

UBC secretary general Innocent Dube said the condition that saw girls complaining of swelling, shivering and pain in the legs and in some cases mild psychosis was a "contagious viral condition" that had been also reported in other schools across the country.

"This disease is not unique to Biriiri High School alone since boarding schools and day schools around the country have also been faced with that untimely challenge," Dube told the Eastern News.

"At the end of second term a few students in our school succumbed to an ailment that involved shivering as well as mild psychosis.

The problem was also experienced during the last term of the year with 29 out of 900 students being affected.

"The disease is believed to be common to the girl child which is also the case with Biriiri students. The ailment is believed to be a contagious viral condition," Dube said.

He said the while the church school had instituted prayers, fasts and church sessions dedicated to reining in the medical problem it has been engaging health professionals to handle the issue in line with government policy.

Dube said while all affected students have been referred to the hospital with "a number of them having been cured" in a gesture that "is in line with the ministry of Education's expectation that if a student is ill, she shall be referred to a medical practitioner, they have also deployed medical experts to the school led by one Mugari, a doctor.

Parents were also allowed to take their children for further medical attention.

"Hostels of residents were disinfected to try and kill the pathogenic elements which also helped to some extent.

"Students still occupied their usual hostels of residence without limiting their daily interaction.

"Students were never denied their right to write exams due to this illness. All students on campus who were fit to write exams could still write, However for those who had gone home for medical attention were still allowed to undertake their exams," Dube said.

He said the problem had been blown out of proportion when acting Chief Saurombe stormed the school with apostolic sect occultists and State media journalists in tour for a cleansing charade that had one psychotic student claim Satanism practices against school authorities.

"We do not subscribe to the cultic activities that were forcibly done in our station. The move was ignominious. United Baptist Church beliefs have no allegiance to the occult practices of the apostolic sect which forcibly stormed our station without any permission from us.

"They carried out their cleansing rituals in an unwelcomed fashion. Despite the tepid response they got in the station they called a few students to perform their cleansing rituals. The event was very disgraceful as it violated heavily with our basis of faith," Dube said.

"We do not advocate the notion of undertaking unauthorised entry into our premise regardless of the ranks people may occupy. While we respect our visitors, it is not within their jurisdiction to forcefully get into the station to deal with issues in a manner that goes against our bases of faith," he added.