Two die after consuming honey in Tharaka Nithi

Two people from Riamikui village in Tharaka North Sub County have been reported dead and another one fighting for his life after consuming honey believed to be poisonous.

Those who died include Mr Joseph Kamundi (47) and seven-year-old Paul Mutwiri.

Mutwiri's brother Daniel Murithi is fighting for his life at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital.

According to neghbours and relatives, Joseph Kamundi went out in the morning to gather honey and later came back in the evening.

He found the two boys belonging to his neighbour at his homestead and the three started eating the honey that he had harvested oblivious of whether it would cost them lives.

One of the boys' relatives Mr John Kirimi said the three started complaining of stomach disorders immediately after consuming the honey.

"They all started vomiting and that's when we rushed them to Mukothima health centre for treatment.

Unfortunately, Mr Kamundi and Mutwiri died on arrival and Murithi was immediately rushed to Meru where he was referred to.

Mr Joseph Kijiru, an uncle to the two young boys said it was sad to lose two people from the same neighborhood within a day.

“We cannot blame anyone for the deaths because the one who had the honey consumed the same which led to his death, " he said.

Ntoroni Assistant Chief Mr Japhet Muthengi said he received the news with shock considering that honey was plenty in the area and people had been eating it for long but such cases were rare.

He has however warned the residents against taking food they didn't trust its source since it can be disastrous to them.

"We should always be very careful with what we consume.

We urge people to stop any speculations on this issue as we carry out investigations to know what caused this," he said.

Villagers are on the other hand calling for help from leaders and well-wishers to help them settle hospital and burial expenses.