Anna Njeri (not her real name) had heard one too many times of the fatal dangers from unprescribed virility boosters for men and that is why she decided to throw away five litres of a herbal remedy that her boyfriend had bought.
“It was on November 11 and he came home around 10pm carrying the concoction he said he had bought from a Maasai herbalist,” she told Nation.Africa in Mathare, Murang'a South sub-county.
She wondered why he would need the virility-boosting concoction when he had not shown any signs of trouble in the bedroom. And even if he needed help, why not get medication from a proper doctor? Wondered the 31-year-old mother of two.
“But I thought that since he was drunk, it was better that I wait for him to sober up and then tell him of my disapproval and fears. I did not need death in my house,” she says.
"I was alarmed when he insisted that I serve him a glass full of the green frothy substance that had a horrible smell. I hesitated and he raised his voice ...The moment he raises his voice, brutality follows, so I served him fast," she says.
Njeri narrates that the man would grimace with every gulp of the concoction — as if he was swallowing vinegar.
"Trouble followed when we retired to bed. I was apprehensive and he was eager to test the performance of his magic drink," she says.
Njeri says the drink left her boyfriend gasping for breath and his heart was beating fast. He was also sweating profusely.
She was shocked when he picked up his phone and called a number "and he was full of praise for the concoction, signing off by saying he looked forward to buying another dose once he ran out of stock. He was speaking to his supplier".
"I was sure that death was in that gallon containing the concoction. The change in him after he took that glass was phenomenal and had no characteristics of good health. A man cannot gasp for breath several times and still insist he is okay," she says.
"I reflected on my poor background ... My two children ... my work as a bartender who had, for one year until October 2022, served a year in prison for selling outside the stipulated time," she says.
The odds were too high against her should the man have died in her rented house, she reasoned. “And I decided to kick him out of my house there and then, at midnight."
"I told him to get out. And he became angry, turned brutal and assaulted me," she says.
She suffered facial, abdomen, back and hand injuries. On top of that, she was threatened with death for pouring out the man’s precious concoction.
Njeri, however, stood her ground, and managed to get him out of the house.
"The following morning I went to Maragua police station and recorded a statement. I was referred to the hospital where I was treated and eventually issued with an injury assessment report," she says.
“As we speak, the man is in remand after he was arrested and charged at the Kigumo court.”
