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Two people have been confirmed dead in Thika, Kiambu county, after eating ugali believed to have been prepared from contaminated maize flour.

The two, aged three and 17 years, died after consuming ugali cooked using maize flour believed to have been collected at Kang’oki dumpsite in Kamenu ward where locals scavenge for food.

The teenage boy died while receiving treatment at Thika Level Five Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the hospital superintendent Dr Waturi Kibuti, seven people were being treated at the facility, three in critical condition. He told the press they were brought to the facility with breathing difficulties while others were unconscious.

“We received eight patients from the Kang’oki dumpsite area in Thika in our casualty section. At the moment, one patient is critical, three are very sick while four are stable. We are optimistic that they will recover,” she said.

It is believed the victims collected the contaminated maize flour on Saturday last week after it was dumped by a lorry that came from Nairobi.

“Medical investigations to establish what affected the victims have been launched. We have also dispatched public health officers and environment officers to the dumpsite and Kiganjo village to help unravel the tragedy,” said Dr Kibuti.

Miriam Njambi, the mother of the deceased child, said she returned home from work and found her child in bed writhing in pain.

“I asked about what had happened and was told that they had eaten ugali made from flour collected at the dumpsite,” Njambi recounted.

She said that poverty and the high cost of living had pushed many people to the dumpsite where they scavenge.

“The authorities should find out the company that dumped the contaminated maize flour at the dumpsite,” she said.

Simon Kioko, who fed on the contaminated food, said they collected the maize flour last Saturday.