An 11-year-old boy from Marsabit County has lost his right hand after he was scalded by a neighbor for stealing food.
The boy’s hand was amputated by doctors at Consolata Mission Hospital in Nkubu, Meru County after his hands were dipped in a sufuria full of boiling water.
The boy was grazing the family’s sheep and goats on Sunday when he felt hungry and decided to go to their neighbor’s manyatta.
The minor found maize flour and prepared ugali but as he was about to eat the man arrived home and was infuriated to find the boy had cooked ugali using his flour.
As punishment, the angry neighbor tied the boy with a rope before immersing his hands inside the boiling water.
The 40-year-old man is reported to have used a metal rod to burn the boy on various parts of his body leaving him with severe burns in the hands, legs and back.
Speaking to nation.co.ke, Head of nursing at Consolata Mission Hospital, Ms Julia Muthomi, said the boy has made remarkable progress following the Sunday attack.
Ms Muthoni said they were dressing the burns and administering pain-killers as they closely monitor how the minor was responding to treatment.
“The patient was responding well to treatment. The wounds were badly infected when we received him. The patient could remain here for a while as the stumps heal,” Ms Muthomi said as quoted by nation.co.ke.