An Eldoret chemist was stormed by angry residents today after a 12-year-old kid from Langas Block 6 in Madiaba got handed skin ointment instead of eye drops, sparking fury and fears the child’s sight might never recover fully. Crowds gathered outside Eldobase Chemist, shouting for answers and justice while the family races to doctors who fight to save the youngster’s vision.
The situation escalated when a viral video emerged, depicting the boy’s mother arguing with a pharmacy staff member. In the clip, she holds up the tube and demands why she got cream meant for skin rashes when the doctor clearly wrote eye drops for an infection.
The attendant appears to admit the slip, saying it wasn’t on purpose and she missed the label. The mother explains she put the stuff in the kid’s eyes multiple times a day for a couple days before spotting the error and rushing back. By then, the damage seemed done – redness, swelling, and worsening sight sent them straight to the hospital.
Word quickly spread throughout Eldoret and beyond. People from the neighbourhood and farther out showed up at the shop, some holding phones while the video played on a loop.
They blocked the entrance, called for the place to shut down, and yelled that careless mistakes like this could blind kids or worse. “These chemists will kill us,” one sign read, summing up the raw anger. Police arrived to keep things from turning violent, but the crowd stayed put for hours, refusing to leave until someone took responsibility.
The family tells a heartbreaking story. The boy, just starting his teens, complained of sore eyes after playing outside. A trip to the clinic got him a proper prescription, but the pharmacy swap turned a simple fix into a nightmare.
Doctors now monitor him closely, using treatments to cut inflammation and try pulling back whatever harm the wrong cream caused. No one knows yet if the vision will bounce back completely – that part keeps the parents up at night.
The incident isn’t the first time wrong meds from a chemist have made headlines in Kenya. Parents often share tales of getting syrups mixed up or pills handed out without checking allergies.
Many people blame shops that don’t have enough staff, workers who are in a hurry, or people behind the counter who aren’t fully trained.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya has stepped in before in similar situations to remind everyone that only trained people should give out drugs.
They haven’t said anything directly about this incident yet, but there is more pressure for stricter checks to ensure that only qualified personnel are involved in dispensing medication and to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. People in Langas and Madiaba know the boy and his family well.
People all over the internet share and talk about the video of the medical expert at the chemist who gave the wrong medicine. Some people are angry at the chemist, while others tell parents to read the labels before using anything. Most people, though, agree with the family that there is no reason to put a child’s eyes in danger.
The chemist is still closed for now. The shutters are down while the police look into it.
Authorities are looking into the licensing and what happened that day. The owner hasn’t said anything in public, but people say they’re working together with the police to provide information and clarify the events surrounding the incident. It’s not just one store; it’s about trust in the places people go when their kids get sick.
The mother keeps asking for answers while the doctors work on the boy. She wants someone to be responsible so that no other parent has to go through this. Eldoret talks about it all day, from matatu stops to market stalls.
The anger is still there, a reminder that one harmful tube can change a life in seconds. The lesson is clear: don’t just take something from the counter and think it’s right; read every label and ask questions.
