This archive report was first published on 14 November 2019.
Published on November 14, 2019, two sisters from Nandi County, Sharon Chepchirchir, 24, and her sister Lydia Chepkemboi, 17, have been diagnosed with severe iron deficiency.
The sisters have been eating bar soaps since their childhood, and their condition was discovered after they underwent a series of tests at Oak Tree Hospital in Eldoret.
According to Dr. Mathew Koech, the hospital's lead consultant, the sisters have acute low iron levels, with Chepkemboi exhibiting 'out of proportion' low iron levels in the blood.
Dr. Koech stated, 'Our analysis is revealing there is severe iron deficiency in the siblings' bodies [and] our next step is to find out how their bodies are unable to absorb iron despite their normal eating habits.'
The blood samples have been taken to South Africa for further analysis to determine if the soap-eating disorder is linked to genetics or if it's just a craving.
Sharon Chepchirchir confessed, 'I don't know why I eat soap but I enjoy it. I discovered my appetite for soap when I was five years old.'
Her younger sister, Lydia Chepkemboi, also has an appetite for soap and has never had any health problems from eating it.
Despite trying to stop eating soap, Chepchirchir has spent Sh10,000 on prayers to no avail, and has even approached a pastor in Nairobi for help.
