An Embu court was yesterday told how a couple, for unknown reasons, murdered a baby boy with poisonous tea.
Patrick Muchoki and his wife Frida are accused of killing Jeff Munene, the son of Muchoki’s niece Mary Njeri.
They also attempted to murder the boy’s grandmother Hellen Kiringa at Mbita village, Mbeere South subcounty, on January 20, 2014.
Kiringa told Embu resident magistrate Florence Muchemi she had visited her brother Muchoki and his wife Frida accompanied by her grandson at round 7am to help the couple pick muguka stimulant in their farm.
She said after picking the crop for about an hour Muchoki took it to the market. He returned with fresh milk and pawpaws.
Frida prepared tea with the milk. She gave it to Kiringa to cool it for the boy.
Frida asked her to taste it to find out whether it had enough sugar and she did.
Kiringa said she gave the boy the tea, which he drank thirstily. But before long he started sweating, convulsing, vomiting and diarrhearing .
The grandmother while being examined by the prosecutor and the defence lawyer Momanyi Gichuki said Farida suggested the boy could be having pneumonia.
Kiringa started she experiencing the same symptoms before she collapsed and was rushed to Siakago Level 4 Hospital where she was admitted and discharged after a day.
Kiringa said the couple did not take the tea despite the fact that it had been prepared for breakfast for the whole family.
It was while at hospital that Kiringa said she heard her daughter Mary Njeri screaming that her son had died.
The matter was reported to the police and the couple was arrested.
Momanyi argued that the couple did not murder the boy as the milk could have been poisoned from where Muchoki bought it.
The hearing continues.
