Detectives in Migori are looking for a house help who is suspected to have poisoned a woman and three children in Oruba estate.
One child, belonging to the woman who was poisoned, died on Tuesday morning. The poisoned woman was a new house help; she was admitted with her employer’s two children to St Joseph Ombo Mission Hospital.
The employer, Ms Bertha Oluoch, said her children were okay when she arrived from work on Monday but they later started vomiting.
“When I arrived home after school, they were all okay. But moments later, they started vomiting and complaining of stomach pains so I rushed them to the hospital,” she said.
Ms Oluoch, a teacher at Migori Primary School, said her former house help, identified as Ms Belinda Atieno, had packed all her belongings and left in a hurry after preparing supper.
She added that the food was served to all her four children but the older ones did not take it as they had gone out to play.
“She prepared some potato fries and cooked bananas which she served to my children and the new house help then packed her belongings and left,” she said.
The new house help, Ms Linda Endekwa, said she ate the food with her son before going to bed only to discover he had died when she tried to wake him up the following day.
“I felt a sharp pain in my stomach when I tried to walk to the washroom. I had grown so weak even to move downstairs so I shouted for help. Fortunately, madam came to my rescue and helped me,” she said.
According to Linda, her predecessor had complained about not being paid. “Belinda had been accusing madam (her employer) of withholding her wages for the last four months and had hinted at teaching her some lesson,” she said.
Mr Collins Mwanga, a clinical officer at the hospital, confirmed that there were traces of food poisoning in the patients admitted to the wards, Nation.co.ke reports.
“We received the two children and a lady in her twenties who reportedly lost her son in what we suspect to be food poisoning,” he said, adding, “We did a lab test and admitted the four patients. The results will be out in three days and we will give a comprehensive report.”
The medic said the three patients are in stable condition.
