By Lillian Mutavi

More by this Author

At least 95 police officers have been hospitalised in Kenya with suspected cases of cholera.

According to the Health ministry, the officers are said to have been infected after taking meals at the Nairobi Area Police Canteen.

On Sunday, some 59 officers were hospitalised in various hospitals in Nairobi with another 36 admitted Monday after contracting the disease.

They were part of a group of 430 officers deployed to Nairobi ahead of the Supreme Court ruling on presidential poll petition on Friday. They were residing at the Multimedia University Hotel in Rongai, about 17 kilometres south of the capital.

"Those infected did not get the disease from the Multimedia University since they had their lunch away from the institution. Investigations show that the source is the Nairobi Area Police Canteen," said Dr Ralph Muli, the Nairobi County head of Diseases Surveillance.

Consequently, the City county has temporarily closed the canteen.

The Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu said the officers were in stable condition.

Dr Mailu said investigations were underway to establish whether the canteen had outsourced services to cater for the large number of officers.

He said the ministry was concerned that instead of eliminating cholera, new cases were emerging.

Nairobi was first hit by the outbreak on May 19 with about 56 cases having been reported.

One of the police officers who requested anonymity said they ate ugali (a Kenyan staple made of maize flour) and meat stew at the canteen on Saturday.

He said he started feeling sick in the evening.