Girl moves crowd with song, raises Sh48,000 for burns treatment

Linnet Chepkorir (pictured), the 11-year-old girl is nursing serious head burns and has been raising money for treatment through singing. [Nikko Tanui/Standard]

Linet Chepkorir, an 11-year-old girl who suffered serious head burns would have left her single, deaf and dumb mother struggling to raise money for her treatment; but she took the matter into her own hands.

The young girl, whose face is badly scarred with wounds, sang her heart out and raised in less than three minutes over Sh48, 000 for treatment during an event held at Kenegut Primary School in Ainamoi Constituency. 

"In November 2018, Chepkorir accidentally fell into the fireplace and her mother who is deaf and dumb could not hear her cries. To date, her wounds have not healed properly," said Pervin Sigei, who curtain raised for the young performer. 

In her moving gospel tune, Chepkorir sang about how God has saved her from burning to death while her mother couldn't hear her cries. 

"I am a living testimony that there is a God who saved my life," she sung. 

Incidents of people especially children suffering severe burns have shot up in the county over the past two years. 

In May, three minors from Kapsoit Ward in Ainamoi Constituency were scalded to death after the pot their mother Vicky Cherotich, was using to brew Changaa cracked open spewing the hot liquor on the victims. 

County health executive Dr Shadrach Mutai on Tuesday said the county has a plan for construction and equipping of a modern burn unit. 

"Currently, we have no option but to refer patients who suffer severe burns to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital or Kijabe Mission Hospital," said Dr Mutai. 

He added, "If we can get the support of the County Assembly for the construction of a modern burn unit, we will be in a better place to offer specialised treatment to burn patients,” 

Whenever a burn patient gets transferred from Kericho to Kenyatta National Hospital for instance, it takes up to five hours for him or her to reach the hospital. 

"If the county can have a good burn unit, the hours it takes for a patient referred to a hospital outside Kericho, is enough to save his or her life," said Dr Mutai.