A man has been arrested for poisoning water in a borehole in Kaplenge, Marakwet West on Thursday.
Hillary Kiprono poured acaricide, a chemical used to kill ticks, into the water point after a 19-year-old man was poisoned.
"We
interrogated him after committing the offence and he told us that he was being
pushed by a disturbing devil to pour poison into the borehole," said area assistant chief Abraham Chemisto.
Chemisto
said after further questioning, Kiprono said he has been experiencing family differences.
"The boy was
arrested and taken to Kapsowar police for further interrogation," he said.
The
assistant chief said the suspect warned children who were playing near the borehole
not to tell anyone that he had poured the chemicals inside.
But the children notified their parents
who alerted authorities.
Chemisto
said the suspect may have been plotting to poison his parents and brothers following
a family quarrel over a yet-to-be established issue.
He said the
borehole has been closed after public health officials visited the area. Residents now have to fetch water from Moiben River, five kilometres
away.
"Public
health officials took samples of the water and directed that we seal the
borehole because they will be coming back to collect more water samples for
tests," Chemisto said.
He said
residents have been barred from fetching water from all the three boreholes in the area amid fears that they have been contaminated.
