Farm workers are falling sick in a Kenyan horticultural town. Were they poisoned by pesticides?
Source: The Guardian ·
Timau’s industry has provided local Kenyans with an economic lifeline. But now, many believe it has made them seriously illWhen Reuben Muriki fainted while doing a chore in the compound of his home near the horticultural town of Timau in central Kenya several years ago, it marked the start of a series of increasingly serious health episodes.His joints became swollen, his skin became discoloured…
From the source
When Reuben Muriki fainted while doing a chore in the compound of his home near the horticultural town of Timau in central Kenya several years ago, it marked the start of a series of increasingly serious health episodes. His joints became swollen, his skin became discoloured and he found breathing difficult. He was in and out of hospital, and was forced to quit his work as a pesticide sprayer at a flower farm. Doctors treated him for suspected tuberculosis in vain. “He would often fall and completely lose consciousness,” his mother, Margaret Mwanjaro, said in their living room in Mukuri village. Now 30, Muriki is unable to walk on his own. He speaks incoherently and quickly forgets things. Mwanjaro, on whom Muriki relies for round-the-clock care, believes her son’s condition is a result of poisoning from the pesticides that he used to spray on the flower farm. Timau, a small town of about 10,000 people, has for decades hosted horticultural companies that employ thousands of workers…
BestAIBroker analysis
- Finance-aware sentiment: neutral (-0.05 on a -1 to +1 scale).
- Event classification: OTHER.
- Market importance score: 33/100, weighting entity relevance, source credibility, multi-outlet coverage and recency.