A burial ceremony held in Huduruma Estate, Mwea, Kirinyaga County on Tuesday, December 10, was momentarily halted after a swarm of bees attacked mourners.
The bizarre incident occurred as mourners were in the process of lowering the body of a 76-year-old woman into the grave.
Commenting on the occurrence, one of the witnesses who spoke to the press revealed that at least 20 people were rushed to hospital in critical condition.
According to another witness, some of those bitten collapsed while being ferried to hospital. However, they received treatment and are currently recuperating.
“We had accompanied one of our kin to this burial but while we were in the process of completing the burial, a swarm of bees began attacking people,” narrated a witness.
“Some ran to the kitchen while others ran to the bathrooms...everyone looked for a place to hide, but those who were not able to find a place sustained severe bites,” the witness added.
A Kirinyaga Hospital doctor who confirmed the incident detailed that the victims were brought in with allergic reactions following the bites they sustained but the situation had since been managed.
Moments later, a team of rescuers, including Kirinyaga County Firefighters, arrived at the scene and locals lit a fire to chase away the bees before the burial ceremony proceeded.
Despite the intervention, the deceased was buried at night by a small group of mourners. According to the residents, they had never witnessed such a thing before.
In a similar dramatic incident in November last year, motorists were forced to flee after bees invaded a matatu terminus in Nyeri County. The bees descended on a matatu that was about to ferry passengers to Nanyuki.
As the passengers were boarding the 14-seater matatu, they spotted a swarm of bees, a situation which immediately triggered commotion inside the vehicle.
The driver of the matatu quickly moved the vehicle away from the road in the hope that the bees would leave, however, to the surprise of many, the bees became more aggressive, biting several people.
