This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, a woman and her three children were rushed to St Joseph Ombo Mission Hospital in Migori after they fell ill, allegedly due to food poisoning.
The poisoned woman, a new house help, was admitted along with her employer's two children.
Ms Bertha Oluoch, the employer, a teacher at Migori Primary School, said her children were okay when she arrived home from work on Monday but started vomiting and complaining of stomach pains later that evening.
"When I arrived home after school, they were all okay. But moments later, they started vomiting and complaining of stomach pains so I rushed them to the hospital," she said.
Ms Oluoch stated that her former house help, identified as Ms Belinda Atieno, had packed all her belongings and left in a hurry after preparing supper.
The new house help, Ms Linda Endekwa, claimed she ate the food with her son before going to bed, only to discover he had died when she tried to wake him up the following day.
"I felt a sharp pain in my stomach when I tried to walk to the washroom. I had grown so weak even to move downstairs so I shouted for help. Fortunately, madam came to my rescue and helped me," she said.
Ms Endekwa alleged that her predecessor, Ms Belinda Atieno, had complained about not being paid and had hinted at teaching her employer a lesson.
Mr Collins Mwanga, a clinical officer at the hospital, confirmed that there were traces of food poisoning in the patients admitted to the wards.
