Two children died and 13 other members of the same extended family are receiving treatment after suspected aflatoxin poisoning in Mutomo, Kitui County.
The deaths were reported at the home of Joseph Mutemi Mala in Kasasi village, Kasasi Sub-location, Voo Location, where several family members have developed symptoms associated with aflatoxin contamination.
According to police, Mala bought a sack of maize from a shop at Kaluasi Market on July 12, 2026.
On August 5, three of Mala’s children became unwell and were taken to Mutomo Mission Hospital.
They were diagnosed with suspected aflatoxin fungal infection and admitted for treatment.
One died on August 19 while undergoing treatment.
Another was later referred to Kitui Level V Hospital, where he died on Friday, August 21.
Police said they received information on Friday morning that more members of the family were exhibiting similar symptoms.
Police visited the area and rescued 13 people, most of them children, before taking them to Mutomo Mission Hospital for treatment.
They were all undergoing treatment at the hospital by Friday.
Police and detectives have visited the affected area as investigations continue into the suspected source of the contaminated maize.
The incident has also raised concerns over the safety of maize sold in local markets, with authorities expected to establish whether the maize consumed by the family was contaminated and whether other households may have purchased the same batch.
And police in Embu have launched investigations into the suspected murder of a six-year-old boy whose body was found dumped in a culvert along the Runyenjes-Embu road.
The body of Brian Munene was discovered at Gikuuri in Embu East Sub-County on Friday morning, hours after his father reported him missing.
His family har said he had gone missing from their home in Ivari village at about 10pm on Thursday.
At about 6am, the boy was found dead inside a culvert approximately four kilometres north of Ena Police Station.
Police officers from Ena Police Station, DCI Runyenjes and the Scenes of Crime Unit from Embu visited the scene and documented the body and surrounding area.
The police report indicated that the boy had visible injuries to the chest, with the letters “KARINDA RUTO WAN TAM” reportedly engraved on his body.
The boy also had injuries to his genital area, a swollen head, a cut on the left thigh and marks around the neck that suggested strangulation.
The scene was processed by crime-scene investigators before the body was removed to Tenri Mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination.
Police have opened investigations into the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death and are seeking to establish who was responsible for the killing and the motive behind it.
The discovery of the body has raised concern among residents of Gikuuri, with detectives expected to rely on forensic evidence and the postmortem findings as they pursue leads into the suspected murder.
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