By PHILIP MUASYA
KITUI, KENYA: On Friday evening last week, Stephen Kilonzo, aged nine, happily drove the family’s livestock to the grazing fields, where he joined his mates in the activity so much enjoyed by boys of his age.
About an hour into the grazing areas in Mwasuma village, Mwingi East district in Kitui County, Kilonzo dashed to return a stray goat back to the herd when the worst happened.
A puff adder that was resting under a tree struck furiously, biting him on the leg.
Gasping for breath
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His screams attracted his age mates who rushed to the scene only to find the giant snake slithering away as the boy lay on the ground writhing in pain.
In an area where snakebites are common, Kilonzo’s mother and his uncle knew they had to act fast to save his life.
They boarded a matatu from Nguni market and rushed the boy to Mwingi District Hospital, some 40km away.
By now the class three pupil at Kiisu Primary School was gasping for breath as the poison took a toll on his young body. “On getting there, however, we only met a watchman at the gate who told us there were no doctors. We also noticed there was no activity inside the hospital,” mourns Peter Musya, his uncle.
They then took him to a private clinic within Mwingi town but there was no anti venom at the facility. The boy was now extremely weak, his body turning black.
They decided to go back to Nguni Health Centre, but he did not make it.
Painful death
“He died as we watched and there was absolutely nothing we could do. He experienced such a slow and painful death,” said Musya, describing his nephew as bubbly.
Dr Henry Mutune, the Mwingi Hospital Medical Superintendent, however told The Standard on Sunday that Mutie arrived at the hospital when he was already weak, the venom having shut down vital body organs.
“The child was brought in when he was badly off. We tried to resuscitate him but it was too late. Had he arrived here much earlier we would have saved him. He did not die because of lack of attention,” said Mutune, noting that the hospital has enough storage of anti-venom medicine.
While little innocent Kilonzo died, two other critically ill patients were lucky to cheat death.
The two young men in Dr Mutune’s hospital are victims of mob justice who suffered serious burns after they were set ablaze on suspicion of being robbers.
One of the patients is still chained to his bed by police. An intense, foul suffocating smell hits one’s nostrils as one enters the room, with a nurse trying to dress his ghastly wounds.
