Four brothers are among 17 people are in critical condition after eating suspected contaminated food in Elmaine village, Ilchamus in Baringo county on Friday.
According to Musa Kurgat, the incident happened in the neighbour's farm where his siblings had been hired to make irrigation trenches in onion farms belong to one of their neighbor.
He said shortly after they took githeri for lunch on Friday, they complained of the stomach upsets, incessant vomit and pains in their mouths.
“They had gone to do some small jobs looking for something small for their school pocket money as usual,” said Mr Kurgat.
The four are Kipruto Kurgat, 17, expected to join form one next year January, Jonathan Kurgat and Christopher Kurgat both who are form two students and Kelvin Kipsang, a form three student.
He said that they were taken to Kabarnet hospital and due to limited Intensive Care Unit (ICU), three of them were transferred to Eldoret.
“Two are in ICU in Mediheal Hospital and the other one is in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, we are told by the doctor that they under the medication and their condition is positively improving,” he said.
Mr Kurgat said that the other brother was left in Kabarnet hospital ward but his condition worsened and therefore he was transferred on Sunday morning to Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret.
Mediheal group of hospitals head of operations Dr Umesh Nichat said that the victims are under intensive care and they are positively responding.
“We have noted some changes since they have ceased from vomiting, and soon their frail bodies will get stable to be out of the ICU,” Dr Umesh told journalists on Sunday.
He said they have obtained samples from the victims to determine the nature of poison that contaminated the food.
“We have taken samples to our laboratory and other in MTRH and Kisumu for further examination, the results will guide the diagnosis victims will be given,” he said.
Dr Umesh said they had received another boy from Kabarnet, turning the number of people to 5, those in critical condition.
Checking up on the victims, Baringo Governor Stanley Kiptis appealed for an investigation to find those behind the food poisoning that has since claimed two lives.
“We have never heard of such incident in our region, the incident should be investigated and find out if there was anyone’s hand,” said Governor Kiptis who noted that the county government of Baringo will support grieving families to offset hospital charges.
#hivisasaoriginal