After apparently eating poisonous wild honey, a Standard Eight child from Tumbura location in Kathuura Sub-Location, Tharaka South Sub-County in Tharaka Nithi County passed away, whilst the other is being treated at Marimanti Level Four Hospital.
Turima Location Chief Philip Mutugi confirmed the event and claimed an old man who purportedly helped the two children on Thursday and picked the honey was also treated at Kibunga Sub-County Hospital.
“Investigations are proceeding to determine the facts,” stated Mr. Mutugi. “The youngsters were purportedly given the honey by the elderly guy who had harvested the honey from a tree locally known as muthigu.”
The administrator forewarned the locals against consuming wild honey, known as nchuura in the vernacular of the area. This honey is not produced by common bees but rather by a smaller species that primarily resides in hollow trees or abandoned holes in the ground known locally as tuchuura and does not sting.
Nchuura, which is consumed raw and is much sought after, especially by pastoralists, is thought to have medicinal benefits. In Tharaka constituency, which is well-known throughout the entire Mt. Kenya region for producing honey, cases of mortality brought on by ingesting wild honey are frequent.
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