Death toll in Baringo food poisoning rises
The number of people who have died from suspected food poisoning in Baringo has reached four after two more lost their lives over the weekend.
One of the victims died on Saturday at Baringo County Referral Hospital making the figure of those who have died at the facility to three while the fourth passed on at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital on Sunday. The deceased was among ten people who had been referred to Mediheal and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospitals in Eldoret, with five remaining at the hospital.
According to a medic at the facility Dr. Nancy Kerubo the quintet would most likely be discharged within the next 48 hours.
“We have been able to stabilize the five and we believe their condition will allow them to be discharged from hospital within the next 48 hours,” she said.
They form part of 17 menial labourers believed to have consumed poisonous food at Elmaine Village, Illchamus Sub location in Baringo South last Friday.
One of the villagers, John Chepyegon, said that they had been informed early in the morning that there were young men who had gone for casual labour and afterwards the owner offered them a meal of githeri for lunch.
"Immediately they ate lunch they started complaining of stomach ache, diarrhea and others were vomiting, so we had to contact the hospital immediately," Chepyegon said.
Chepyegon says a Red Cross ambulance that was attending to flood victims in the nearby location came to their rescue and rushed them to Marigat Sub-County hospital.
Speaking to KNA on phone Baringo County Police Commander, Mr. Robinson Ndiwa, said they are treating the matter as a criminal offence and had arrested and arraigned two suspects before Kabarnet courts.
“The Suspects were arraigned in court this morning and we requested for more days to carry further investigations and also await results of the sample taken to the government chemist,” said the County Police boss.
The matter had attracted the attention of both the County Governor, Stanley Kiptis and the County Commissioner, Henry Wafula, with the former reading malice in the incident and calling for arrest of perpetrators.
According to Wafula thorough investigations was being conducted to unravel the puzzle and punish the perpetrators.
