MARSABIT – A family in Saru location, Dukana Sub-County, Marsabit County, is mourning the death of their 16-year-old son, a Grade 8 learner who succumbed to a snake bite early Monday morning at his home in Qonye village.
The teenager was bitten on Friday while herding his father’s livestock. Sabarei area police, local Chief Godana Gollo, and headteacher Mamo George confirmed the tragic incident, with the headteacher pointing to a critical lack of medical assistance at the Bales Saru Health Centre as a factor in the boy’s death.
Snake bite incidents are escalating sharply across the region. Just a week prior, an eight-year-old boy died after being bitten by a puff adder in Boruharo village, Dirib Gombo location, Marsabit Central. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Senior Assistant Director for North Eastern, Bakari Chongwa, confirmed the younger boy was bitten while playing with other children in his family homestead, dying shortly after as his condition rapidly deteriorated.
In response to the surge, KWS officers recently captured another puff adder in the Qachacha area of Dirib Gombo and safely relocated it to Marsabit National Park. KWS has urged residents to remain extremely vigilant and avoid attempting to handle or kill snakes themselves, advising the public to contact KWS or local security officers immediately upon spotting one.
