A mysterious disease has claimed the lives of eight individuals and left 22 others critically ill in Kakamega County.
The eight, all residents of Isukha village, died at the Kakamega Referral Hospital while receiving treatment.
Residents explained that all the victims exhibited similar symptoms including; severe pain, left hand swelling, skin peeling off and after a few days, death.
"We are at a loss to explain the kind of disease this is. My husband started exhibiting the symptoms on his left hand and died days later," Clare Musanga, a widow stated.
Residents indicated that the victims started complaining of the pains days after consuming illicit brew allegedly stolen from one of the dens from the village.
A majority of those who have suffered are said to have been men aged between 30 and 45 years.
"We are told the boys managed to steal raw material and delivered it to the brewer who then ended up distilling chang'aa from it.
"When the aggrieved party discovered that the raw materials were missing, she sought the services of a local witchdoctor who asked for a sample of the chang'aa and cast a spell on it," Malimili sub-location assistant chief Kizito Anzimbu stated.
He added that fear had gripped villagers in the area after reports that the witchdoctor had vowed that over 25 individuals who took the liquor would also die.
