Girl, 12, dies after consuming poisonous cassava

A 12-year-old girl has died and her two siblings hospitalised after they allegedly consumed poisonous cassava at Siandha Village in Siaya County.

According to the chief of East Gem location, Nicholas Sogo, the three children consumed the cassava that had been prepared by their grandmother and after going back home they started complaining of stomachaches.

Mercy Akoth, who was a pupil at Ramula Primary School, was rushed to Ramula Health Center together with her siblings Benta Adhiambo, 9, and Christopher Omondi, 6, by their mother but died due to alleged slow response from the hospital.

“We are going to roll out a sensitisation program to enlighten locals on proper use of cassava which is a highly nutritious and drought resistant crop, but at the same time can be poisonous, said the County Director of Agriculture, Isaac Munyendo.

The body has since been moved to Yala sub-county hospital mortuary while the other two children were referred to Rabuor community hospital where they are undergoing treatment.

This incident comes barely a month after four other children died in a similar incident within the same county.

Reported by George Amolo