Mother of children who ate chameleons says they had not had a meal for days
The mother of two children in Nakuru who ate chameleons prepared by their brother has said the family had gone for days without food.
The mother of two children in Nakuru who ate chameleons prepared by their brother has said the family had gone for days without food.
Ms Joyce Chepng’etich, a resident of Nyakinyua village in Molo sub-county, said she was away looking for casual jobs when the incident happened.
She returned home in the evening to find two chameleon heads on the floor.
“When I left in the morning, my children were fine. I instructed the eldest to look after the rest as I went looking for food, because we had nothing in the house,” said the mother of eight.
“I did not find the casual job I had anticipated and so I had to look for an alternative.
She said that when she returned home in the evening, she found two children on the floor writhing in pain “and the eldest told me that he had prepared chameleon soup for them”.
“He said he had to feed them the chameleons because they had been crying the whole day, complaining of hunger.”
Private hospital in Molo
She asked neighbours for help to transport the children to a private hospital in Molo. They were referred to the Molo Sub-County Hospital.
The children, aged four and two, were treated for food poisoning and they were in a stable condition when this story was published.
"I plead with anyone to help me. I do not have food. The little I earn from the jobs I do daily is not enough to sustain us. I earn Sh200, which I use for food and other things, but it's not enough for us," Ms Chepng’etich said.
Janet Keter, her neighbour, said she learnt about the incident after she heard screams from Ms Chepng’etich homestead.
"This woman is struggling to feed her children. She leaves the house very early and returns in the evening just to look for food for them,” Ms Keter said.
“As neighbours, we have been helping where we can, but now we are appealing to well-wishers to help her. She is going through a lot."
Residents urged well-wishers to support the single mother to raise her children, saying that none of her children go to school.
