Collins Kiprotich is a sad man struggling with excruciating pain and numbness in his body.
He was shot by police in a violent protest in Kericho town 14 years ago, and because of his failing health he hardly leaves his home and cannot fend for his family.
Although the 37-year-old peasant farmer survived the shooting and was rushed to a nearby hospital, there was more bad news waiting for him. A scan showed that he had two bullets lodged in his body.
Collins Kiprotich. He has two bullets lodged in his body for the last 14 years.
He was then referred to Tenwek hospital, where doctors told him the bullets rested close to his vital organs. But they decided that it would be safer for Mr Kiprotich to live with the projectiles.
“After counselling, I was informed that one bullet was lodged in the lungs while the other was stuck in between the heart and the spine. Doctors said they could not operate on me as that would be life-threatening,” he said.
The father of three and resident of Telanet village, Kapsoit ward, in Kericho County, has endured pain and suffering over the years and his financial constraints mean that he is unable to get proper medical care.
Doctors gave him prescriptions for drugs but he cannot afford to buy them. This has aggravated his condition and left him fighting for survival.
On the day he escaped death, Mr Kiprotich said, he and his relatives were en route to Kipchimchim village, on the outskirts of Kericho town, to visit a family member.
“When we got to town, we saw people running in all directions and before we realised that police were chasing demonstrators, we were under attack from the security officers.”
He said uniformed and plainclothes officers were chasing people out of town after a group of young people started looting shops.
As he ran to avoid being arrested, he suddenly felt weak and started gasping for breath before he fell on the side of a road.
“I was shot as I approached Siloam Hospital, near a Hass petrol station on the Kericho-Kisii highway. I was shocked to learn that the bullets were lodged in my body,” he said.
“I felt excruciating pain, then some warmth, and I realised a few seconds later that my clothes were dripping with blood. I vividly remember sweating profusely before turning numb as everything went blurry. I do not know what happened next as when I came to, I was in a hospital bed.”
Collins Kiprotich. He has two bullets lodged in his body for the last 14 years.
He later learnt that he was rushed to Kericho district hospital, now a county referral hospital.
He was admitted for three days as doctors and nurses struggled to stabilise his condition before he was transferred to Tenwek hospital in neighbouring Bomet County.
As he battled for his life and tried to come to terms with the incident that had shattered his life and left him bed-ridden, Mr Kiprotich felt helpless and prayed to God to save his life.
It was a life-changing moment for the man who was the breadwinner of his family. He tried to understand why the police had shot him when he was not one of the demonstrators looting shops and pelting vehicles with stones as the mayhem unfolded in Kericho town.
“I occasionally cough out blood and the only remedy is to take hot water, which cools the pain,” he said, wiping off tears from his face.
The Standard Eight dropout depends on his wife, Caroline, a day labourer who does menial jobs, including plucking tea leaves, to earn money and support the family.
Mr Kiprotich tried his hand at business, opening a stall in Kericho town where his wife sold fresh milk but the business collapsed after a few months.
He switched to roasting maize at Kapsoit trading centre but that did not work out either, forcing him to retreat to his village to try out farming.
But his condition made working on his farm difficult and he has decided to take a break and ponder his next move. He struggles with sleeplessness.
“At night, I wake up and toss in bed after losing sleep because of what I’m going through with the bullets lodged in my body. This makes me feel quite restless,” he said.
“I wish I could recover fully and lead a normal life again. My life has been turned upside down and when I think of what happened, how I wish I could wind back the clock.” BY DAILY NATION
