By Peter Opiyo

After a year and seven months of a brave fight, young Bruce Kimutai, a victim of an illegal anti-rabies injection, has lost the fight.

Yesterday, the innocence of his younger sister, Brenda Cheptoo, who has been by his bedside, betrayed the gloomy aura at their home in Ngara, Nairobi.

Behind this innocence, the family is distraught with the loss.

Until June 2007, Bruce was a healthy boy. But an illegal injection after a stray dog bit him has snatched him from the family that has sacrificed a lot to save him.

But as the family mourns him, the pharmacy from where the illegal vaccine was bought is still up and running.

Brenda presents a birthday card to her bed-ridden brother Bruce Kimutai, last year. Photo: File/Standard

The turn of events shocked the young family. For death came knocking at a time Bruce was showing signs of beaming back to active life.

"We were planning to call you to witness how Bruce has progressed, that was our plan," his father, Mathew Lang’at told The Standard.

Progress

He says Bruce was active on Saturday night and they were impressed with his progress.

"He was responding well and could differentiate between his dad and mum. We even watched TV with him before taking him to bed," his mother, Emmy Lang’at, said.

For a youngster who has been in a partial coma, this was reason enough to celebrate. But by 5am yesterday, Bruce passed on. "When we checked on him in the morning, we found he had left us," said Emmy.

Mathew says the pharmacist who administered the drug is still holding a practice certificate and he is yet to hear from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, since recording a statement last March.

He says it has been an expensive struggle and the family has spent more than Sh5 million. Not even a visit to the world famous Bombay Hospital in India saved Bruce’s life.

Bruce has been using seven sets of drugs and numerous food supplements. His father, a Kenya Power and Lighting Company employee, is grateful to his employer for financial and moral support.

He also thanks the Baptist Church, friends, well-wishers and the Standard Group, for their support.

The Standard first published the story on December 1, 2007, appealing for well-wishers to help the family foot the bill.