An 8-year-old girl has died after she was bitten by a snake in Mwala, Machakos County.
The class three pupil was reportedly bitten by a viper while playing with her friends at Maweli Primary School in Ndandani village on Tuesday.
The deceased's parents have taken the blame on doctors at the Machakos Level Five Hospital who they accuse of negligence.
They questioned the manner in which the doctors handled the incident leading to the demise of their daughter.
According to the deceased's mother Peninah Nzwili, the hospital did not take their case as an emergency. She claims they were forced to wait in a queue just like other patients.
Nzwili claims the doctors' negligence caused her daughter's death.
"If only they listened to me that my case was an emergency, my daughter could have been alive today," she said on during a phone interview.
Nzwili said her daughter had earlier received first aid at Mwala Level Four Hospital before she was referred to the Machakos Level Five Hospital. She says the family was forced to rush their deceased daughter to Machakos in a hired taxi after they were told the Mwala Level Four Hospital's ambulance was not in good condition.
She further claimed the doctors at the Machakos Level Five Hospital did not take blood samples of the deceased.
"There were no blood samples taken from my daughter at the Machakos Level Five Hospital, she was instead given an injection and discharged," she said.
Nzwili said she was given a list of medicine to buy for the girl as she was being discharged. She said the girl's situation worsened on arrival at home forcing them to return her to the nearby Mwala Level Four Hospital where the doctor said the girl needed to be put on oxygen. The daughter was again referred from the hospital to Machakos Level Five Hospital.
She died on Friday in a taxi on the way to the latter hospital. The body was moved to Machakos Level Five Hospital's mortuary.
The family now demands explanations from the Machakos Level Five Hospital and the Machakos County Government's leadership on the circumstances under which their daughter died.