Three Shalom Community hospital workers have been charged with manslaughter at the Machakos Law courts over the death of a seven-month-old baby.
Appearing before Senior Resident Magistrate Irene Kahuya, the three Vincent Njau Ng’ang’a, Irene Katete Mutinda and Odhiambo Kennedy denied the charges and were released on a bond of Ksh500 thousand each.
The court heard that the accused persons jointly with others not before the court caused the death of Ethan Muendo, a child aged seven months.
The accused faced a second count of recklessness and negligence, causing harm to the baby.
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On count three, the accused persons were charged with selling a drug that was administered to Ethan Muendo without following laid down procedures.
According to the charge sheet being persons authorized to deal with poisonous substances, in particular, Morphine, they carelessly injected the drug to the baby leading to his death.
Baby Ethan Muendo was administered with an overdose of morphine injection at the Machakos town hospital after suffering minor burns on his hand on Saturday night.
According to preliminary Investigations, the boy was given twenty times the dose he required following a mix up in the administration from oral to muscular.
Morphine is in a class of drugs known as opiates and is used as the last line of analgesic commonly used by those suffering from excruciating pain brought by terminal illnesses like cancer or freak accidents.
The baby’s father, Jonathan Mutiso, is a journalist with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.
The case is set for May 23rd 2019.
