Anguish as snakes prey on children

Once bitten, twice shy. This is a saying well understood by Chebet Lagat, a six-year-old girl who is easily startled by any hissing sound around her.

The Standard One pupil of Emsos Primary School screams for her father, Patrick Kigen, who is working nearby on their farm in Emsos village.

Alarmed by the commotion, Mr Kigen runs towards the house, sharpened machete at the ready, only to find that Chebet is simply scared of staying home alone.

He stares at his daughter’s paralysed left hand and the false alarm is quickly forgiven. Chebet was bitten by a venomous snake in 2015 and has not regained the full use of her arm.

“Any strange movement scares my daughter. It makes her remember the snake bite she sustained two years ago. This has affected her because she feels insecure,” said Kigen.

Humid weather

The area’s rocky terrain and humid weather provide a conducive home for cobras, mambas and pythons.

Unlike other children her age, Chebet looks weaker and unco-ordinated. Kigen told The Standard that on the fateful night, she had gone to bed after dinner.

At around 8.30pm, Kigen heard her screaming and rushed to investigate. He spotted a cobra winding its way across the bed frame. It had bitten Chebet on the wrist.

He quickly tied a piece of cloth around her arm and killed the snake, which he would give to medics to dispense the proper antivenom.

Chebet was taken to Marigat Hospital – a nightmare 50km journey over poor terrain that took an hour on a motorcycle.

But the hospital did not have the correct antivenom and the family was referred to Kabarnet County Hospital.

“My girl was in deep pain and vomited continuously, but she received treatment after two hours,” Kibet said.

Chebet was discharged after two weeks after incurring a Sh30,000 bill. The incident was reported to the police and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). To date, Kigen is still chasing after compensation.

Relevant authority

“We sold all our goats. We also asked for support from friends to treat my daughter, but the relevant authority remains mum,” he said.

In the same village, Jackson Kiplagat is yet to come to terms with the death of his infant daughter Scolla Kiplagat and the paralysis of another daughter, seven-year-old Chepchirchir Kiplagat.

“Should I leave this place? Look at how my daughter is struggling,” said Mr Kiplagat, fighting back tears.

The two children were attacked by a black mamba on the night of June 18, 2015. Chepchirchir was bitten on the arm and Scolla on the face.

“I tied Chepchirchir’s hand, but how could I prevent the spread of poison on the nose? Her body swelled and within a few minutes, she was no more,” he said.

Just like Kigen, he rushed the baby to Marigat on a boda boda before being referred to Kabarnet.

Chepchirchir was operated on and later transferred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for further treatment.

Kiplagat steals a look tinged with great sadness at his daughter. The bubbly girl cannot walk, talk, hear or do anything independently.

A medical report lists a litany of harrowing effects the venom had on her young body, including renal failure, cortical blindness and limb deformity.

Her extended hospital stay resulted in a huge bill of Sh920,000, but the hospital allowed Kiplagat to take his daughter home.

He is also yet to receive compensation despite Koitumet Assistant Chief Philemon Kapsabit writing a letter to KWS about the incident.

Angry locals

In February, angry locals stormed Poy Health Centre after a Standard Two boy died from a snakebite after being referred to Kabartonjo Hospital, 60km away, because of lack of antivenom drugs.

“Why should we have people dying because of lack of medical attention when we have a hospital in our vicinity?" asked Kipsereman MCA John Aegwo.

Health Executive Mary Panga however dismissed claims of a shortage of antivenom. She admitted that refrigeration was a problem due to lack of electricity.

“We supply antivenom to all areas that record high cases of snakebite but we are procuring solar fridges to supply it to facilities in remote areas."

Dickson Too, the KWS senior warden, said snakebite victims were provided with compensation forms that were submitted to KWS headquarters before being forwarded to the Ministry of Environment.

He added that they would educate residents on measures to keep snakes away, including clearing bushes around houses and not storing water indoors during the dry season.