Mwingi Level IV Hospital in Kîtui County. Photo Courtesy 
By Andrew Mbuva
A family in Mwingi Central, Kitui County, is reeling from shock after a suspected case of food poisoning left one person dead and three others hospitalized.
According to police reports, the incident occurred on Friday evening at a homestead in Mwingi Central Sub-County. The tragedy unfolded after 31-year-old Violet Muteti prepared and served tea to family members using sugar that had earlier been brought home by her husband, Mutati Ngui.
Police established that the sugar had been picked by Mutati and his brother, Wambua Ngui, from the roadside near Kasovoni Trading Centre while heading home.
Moments after consuming the tea, four family members — Ngui Mulonzya (64), Muteti Ngui (33), Wambua Ngui (22), and 80-year-old Mwendwa Mutemi — fell ill, complaining of severe stomach pains.
They were rushed to Mwingi Level IV Hospital for emergency treatment. Sadly, Mwendwa Mutemi was pronounced dead on arrival, while the other three remain admitted in stable condition.
Detectives from Mwingi Central visited the scene and collected remnants of the suspected poisoned sugar for forensic analysis. The body of the deceased was moved to Mwingi Level IV Hospital mortuary pending a postmortem examination.
No arrests have been made so far as investigations continue.
