A 15-year-old boy is currently fighting for his life at Litein Mission Hospital after consuming a raw snake in Chemogoch Village, Bomet County.
The bizarre incident caused a stir in the village, prompting his family to rush him to the hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
On Saturday evening, Litein Mission Hospital received an unexpected patient in a case so unusual that it left medical staff stunned.
The teenager, who works as a traditional beer vendor, was rushed to the hospital after eating a raw green snake.
According to eyewitnesses, some of his customers had captured and killed the snake, after which he took it home. His mother was in shock when she discovered him with the dead snake in his pocket.
“He said, ‘Mother, wait, let me show you,’ then I screamed. He ran off to the stream, ate the whole snake, and drank some water,” recounted Emmy Ruto, the boy’s mother.
As the snake’s venom began to take effect, villagers intervened and rushed him to a local dispensary.
However, as his condition worsened, he was transferred to Litein Mission Hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU.
“When I tried to stop him, people told me he had been bitten by the snake. We tied him up and rushed him to the hospital,” said John Ruto, the boy’s uncle.
After intensive medical treatment, doctors were able to stabilize his condition.
He was later moved from the ICU to a general ward, where he is now recovering.
“This is an extremely rare case. We’ve never seen anything like this before, but he’s now stable and recovering in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) after being discharged from ICU,” said Dr. Valentine Mbithi, a physician at Litein Mission Hospital.
The incident has left the village in shock, with residents puzzled over what led the boy to consume the raw snake.
