Four children died on Sunday after eating cassava in Uhuru Village, Siaya County, the previous day.
It is suspected the cassava was poisonous.
A fifth child was taken to the Siaya County Referral Hospital where she is being treated.
The children were identified as Vivian Otieno, 17, Stephen Otieno, 12, Christine Otieno, 11, and Calvins Otieno, 8.
Their father, Mr Sylvanus Otieno, is a teacher at Ojola Primary School in Gem Sub-County.Their mother, Mrs Penninah Akoth Ouma, said the children had the cassava for lunch and supper on Saturday.
She said in the night they started having breathing difficulties and vomiting.
“It’s painful to lose my four children. I want an inquest into their deaths,” she said.
Mrs Ouma, a secretary at the nearby Ojola Secondary School, told Nation she left for work on Saturday morning.
“I left my children at home and they decided to go to the farm to harvest some cassava. They ate some of it raw and carried some home, which they prepared for lunch,” she said.
Mrs Ouma added that when she returned home in the evening everything was normal until about 11pm, when the children started complaining of stomach ache, vomiting and having difficulty in breathing.
They rushed the children to the nearby Ashburn Community Dispensary for First Aid before taking them to the Siaya County Referral Hospital.
PROBE UNDER WAY
She said the children started dying from 9am on Sunday morning.
She said the children started dying from 9am on Sunday morning.
The fifth child, Roseline Flavian Otieno (12), is responding to treatment at the hospital.
Mrs Ouma called on police to investigate the circumstances behind their deaths, arguing that everyone in the family ate the meal.
“It is unfortunate that the children died when all of us ate the cassava and we are not complaining of any health problems. I do not understand how this can happen,” said Mrs Ouma.
Siaya police boss Ancient Kaloki said the children’s bodies are at the Siaya County Referral Hospital and police have started investigations into the deaths.
Mr Kaloki urged parents to monitor what their children eat to avoid similar cases in future.
“We received reports that the four children died after consuming poisonous cassava. We have launched investigations to establish if the cassava was indeed poisonous,” said the police boss.
*OMG..Poor woman!!!...May GOD HEAL YOUR HEART.
It was probably the uncooked Cassava that they ate ....?
Na waoo! May God console their parents.
ReplyDeleteSo sad! May their souls rest in peace
DeleteDo they have land dispute with anyone who may have infused poison into the crops on that land? That's the only thing I can think of. This is sad.
DeleteOMG this is really sad! Rip little angels.
ReplyDeleteVery Painful! Losing four children in one day. I can't begin to imagine the pains she's going through right now.
ReplyDeleteMay God give them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. May the soul of the departed children Rest in Peace.
How can they eat raw cassava?
ReplyDeleteI thought it contains cyanide?
Cyanide poisoning. The cassava was not well processed.
ReplyDeletewhaoo see what hunger has caused. why will they eat raw cassava. Chineke zoputa umu gi o.
ReplyDeleteMay God comfort the mother. No mother can bear the pains of losing a child talkless of four. God Almighty Please heavy comfort to the mother.
*talk more of 4*nt talk less of 4.
DeleteJesus!! May God console and replenish her loss
ReplyDeleteJeez! May they rip, allergy?
ReplyDeleteRIP. So painful! Oh God!
ReplyDeleteIt was the cyanide in the cassava that killed the children.
ReplyDeletePainful and sad in deed
ReplyDeleteWow, poor children. May God heal the woman's heart. The Cyanide in cassava on hydrolysis releases HCN. This is really poisonous and is most likely the cause of their deaths. May they find peace.
ReplyDeleteTHERE IS CYNAIDE IN CASSAVA?
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me?
DeleteUnfermented cassava is the food with the highest content in Nigeria.
May God comfort her
ReplyDeletePainful & sad.
ReplyDeleteMay dey rest in peace.
God console der loved ones
This is so sad, God console their family and may souls of the departed once rest in peace
ReplyDeleteMay their souls R.I.P.P But please where did this sad event take place? as in country?
ReplyDelete*Sad sigh*
ReplyDeletePoor Woman!
Is the police stupid? Wasting money to probe. This is cyanide poisoning
ReplyDelete#Love is a feeling, not a decision*
ReplyDeleteCyanogenic glycoside oooo
ReplyDeleteThe raw cassava they ate must have been the cause of their deaths. Some varieties of cassava have very high cyanide content that is why it is very important we process our cassava properly before consuming. May God rest their souls and comfort their parents
ReplyDeleteI don't like cassava that much, but I could not imagine eating it raw. A cassava is not a mango. Who taught them to eat raw cassava? May their souls rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteFour children at once?!!!! That's tragedy unimagined! I pray God gives the parents the fortitude to bear this unimaginable loss. The Willis family ( they have a reality show on discovery family) lost six children in a car accident all at once. They had eleven or so and were travelling when the accident happened and six of d kids died! Anytime I think abt it,I just can't wrap my head around losing six (and now four) of ur kids in one day. May God help us all.
ReplyDelete@SisiEko. Cassava naturally contains cyanide, it is naturally poisonous. There are two types bitter and sweet. The bitter cassava is the poisonous one, and these are usually much larger in size. The bitter cassava can be used, but must undergo a very lengthy series of processing to make it fit for consumption. You can't just boil and eat it ever, and most certainly not eat any type of cassava raw.
ReplyDeleteThis is an unbelievable tragedy that could have been avoided. I feel for the parents, but we need to remember just because something is natural does not mean it is always good for you. Even some types of fish are poisonous, barracuda is a known poisonous fish that ppl should keep away from. The ministry of agriculture and health must send out periodic reminders to the populace on these things.