Veteran journalist Kitavi Mutua, a long-serving Daily Nation correspondent in Kitui County, has died in hospital about a week after he was bitten by a venomous snake at his home, colleagues and leaders confirmed on Saturday.

Several outlets, including Kenyans.co.ke, People Daily and Business Today, reported that Mutua was bitten while asleep at his home in Kitui South. He sought treatment, but his condition worsened as the venom spread and affected his internal organs. He was later admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), where most reports say he died on Friday night.

Details of the treatment he received and why his condition deteriorated were not immediately available. His family had not announced burial arrangements by Saturday evening.

The voice of Kitui

For years Mutua was the Nation's eyes in Kitui, covering politics, devolution, development, farming, health and climate change, and bringing stories from Ukambani to a national audience.

Kitui Woman Representative Irene Kasalu said he mentored her when she entered politics about a decade ago, helping her understand how politics and the media work together. "Beyond being a journalist, Kitavi was a mentor, a friend, and a professional who believed in helping others," she said, describing his death as a loss to his family, the journalism fraternity and the people of Kitui.

Antony Nyongesa, a former Nation colleague now working in communications at the National Transport and Safety Authority, described him as resourceful and a close colleague. He recalled that just months ago Mutua coordinated media coverage when NTSA announced the move from physical logbooks to eLogbooks at South Eastern Kenya University.

People Daily reported that other prominent figures, including CS Alfred Mutua and law scholar Makau Mutua, also paid tribute on social media.

A reminder of the snakebite burden

Mutua's death has turned attention back to snakebites, a largely silent killer in arid and semi-arid counties such as Kitui, where many homes are exposed to snakes and the nearest facility able to give antivenom may be far away.

Health experts have long warned that:

  • Bites at night, while victims sleep, are common and are often recognised late.
  • Antivenom is costly, needs proper storage and is not stocked at many rural facilities.
  • Delays in reaching a hospital that can give antivenom and intensive care sharply raise the risk of organ damage and death.

People Daily noted that his death comes as Kenya steps up efforts to develop an antivenom tailored to the snake species found in East Africa, work scientists hope will make treatment more effective and affordable.

Colleagues in Kitui and across the Nation Media Group newsroom have described his death as a heavy blow to regional reporting.

Photos: Kahawatungu (Kitavi Mutua, courtesy); Kenyans.co.ke (Nation Centre, Nairobi). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.