Victims of killer brew in panic as hospital receives more patients

Makueni Deputy Governor Adeline Mwau listens to the accounts of some of the victims at the Makueni Hospital Wednesday. [PHOTO: ONESMUS NZIOKA/STANDARD]

By JOSEPH MUCHIRI and MUNENE KAMAU

EMBU COUNTY: For relatives of the surviving victims of the lethal illicit brew that has so far killed 35 people in Embu, it was like waiting for death to happen before their own eyes.

Wednesday, some of the 77 victims admitted at the Embu Provincial General Hospital complained of dryness in the mouth, backache and headache, while others had lost their eyesight.

The victims also accused the hospital personnel of not doing much to save their lives despite some of those earlier admitted at the facility succumbing as everyone watched.

The hospital however appeared overwhelmed by the high number of victims brought in by relatives.

The situation was distressing and heart-rending as relatives and family members broke down on learning of the deaths of their loved ones.

Others became inconsolable and had to be held and calmed down after they witnessed their loved ones pass on in their hands.

The victims took illicit liquor suspected to have been laced with methanol at Shauri Yako slum in Embu town on Sunday and early Monday before the earliest fatalities were recorded.

LIMITED MEDICAL CARE

Susan Karimi, 26, a victim of the brew remained distraught at the hospital awaiting for treatment as she tried to come to terms with the demise of her husband, George Gachie, 31, who succumbed on Tuesday night.

 “George was not attended to when we arrived at the hospital on Monday night. He was put on drip only on Tuesday when he started foaming. I tried to give him some porridge but the hospital security restrained me on grounds that he was under medication. He died at night,” Ms Karimi claimed.

Karimi said since she checked into the hospital after learning the death of her fellow drunks, she had only been put on drip and told to buy drugs for her treatment. Despite buying the drugs, she had not been treated by noon Tuesday.

“I bought the drugs in the morning (Tuesday) and swallowed one tablet as I waited for doctors to inject me. We fear the worst if something is not done urgently. I appeal to the hospital to do its best to save our lives,” she said.

While she had appeared energetic on Tuesday, yesterday she was a pale shadow of herself – tired, forlorn and red in the eyes. The hospital medical superintendent Gerald Ndiritu however, said they were trying their best to cope with the situation and the high number of patients.

“The treatment we are offering is right to get the poison out of the body. We are also waiting for results from the Government chemist to assist in treatment. Most patients are stable but we will retain them for a day or two to watch over them,” Dr Ndiritu said.

Embu Governor Martin Wambora who visited the patients recuperating at the hospital said his government would waive the hospital bill of all the victims while Nacada will help affected families with coffins to bury the dead.

He said they were liaising with county commissioner to establish the source of the brew saying it had emerged that the brew could have infiltrated to other counties.