52 villagers fall sick after eating bad meat 

At least 52 people were admitted to Mukutani Health Centre in Baringo South after they ate contaminated meat on Saturday.

It was a triple tragedy for the patients as the ill-equipped health centre has no beds and there was only one nurse available. The patients had to spend two nights out in the cold.

Yet, there was no way they could have been transferred to a better equipped facility, some 20 kilometres away, due to lack of transport.

But when the Nation visited Monday, plans were underway to transfer the worst cases to Kabarnet, a three-hour drive.

Most of the patients from Sosion Village, mainly children and women, lay under trees as the dispensary was overwhelmed.

And since the facility does not have beds, the patients had to sleep on cartons that were spread on the ground. Drip fluid containers were suspended from trees.

The facility has only one nurse, who attended to all the patients. Mr Japheth Kipterei  said some patients complained of severe headaches and were also vomiting, while others had  diarrhoea after eating the meat from a sick cow.

“So far, I have managed to contain the situation. Most of the patients are stable, although the number was overwhelming because I’m all alone here,” Mr Kipterei said.

“Some 30 people have been discharged and 22 are still admitted because they severely dehydrated.

“We were running short of drugs and so I had to alert health workers at Chemolingot Health Centre, more than 60 kilometres away, to assist us with more drugs,” he added.

The facility was also an eyesore as some of the patients relieved themselves out in the open due to lack of adequate toilets.