A seven-year-old boy was taken to the Kiambu Level Five Hospital for treatment on Wednesday after a rat reportedly bit him on the toes and around his eyes, leaving him with injuries.
The rodent is said to have bitten the boy as he slept next to his mother and brother at their home in Thome Kasarani, in an incident that left neighbours in shock.
His mother Evelyn Odhiambo expressed shock, noting that the rat only attacked the boy, sparing her and the victim's sibling who was asleep on the same bed.
She said that how the rat decided to chew the boy's toes also remains incomprehensible to her.
“We are three in the family and we all sleep in the same bed. Up to now, I still do not understand how rats would eat him up,” the mother told The Star.
Some residents found the incident uncommon, terming it witchcraft and advised the family to seek spiritual intervention.
“I have never heard of a rat chewing a human being. The family should ask for prayers from religious leaders because that is unusual,” a resident said.
Good Samaritans have since relocated the family to another house to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The boy was treated and discharged.