Kenya is experiencing shock, speculations and probably searching for the mechanism to unravel the mysterious occurrences where men have died ‘while on a date.’

On December 11, 2020, the country woke up to the sad news of the death of Machakos Senator Boniface Mutinda, who had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in Nairobi Hospital. The lawmaker died after he was taken ill at 2am from an apartment where he had a date with a deputy principal, Nthenya Muli.

The lady was detained for 36 hours and questioned under suspicion that the senator may have been poisoned, but his medical tests implied otherwise. While details of his medical report were never made public; his area governor Dr Alfred Mutua told the Kenyan media that the senator succumbed due to stroke that had been inflicted by a blood clot.

His constituents were stunned as tongues were wagging in speculation that the lawyer’s death may have been triggered by the use of sex performance enhancer.

His family denied the claims. In quick span of time, other incidents had come up. Another man died in lodging with his lover in Mombasa County. In another separate incident which happened earlier in the year, a government official based in Narok died while on a date with a girlfriend in Kisii County. And on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, another man from Kisumu County died while on a date with a woman who was later discovered to be his mother-in-law.

Months have been rolling and but no substantive report is coming forth from the Kenyan government. On January 9, 2021, Kenyan newspaper Nairobi ran an exclusive story where a member of parliament talked about what could be wiping Kenyan men while on a date.

Titled ‘Horsepower: Blue pills are finishing Kenyan politicians’, the legislator revealed in a sit-down interview that some of the deaths of high profile citizens have been occasioned by use of Viagra.

‘‘Men must learn to eat natural food and avoid enhancers. So many men die but the prominent deaths caused by Viagra are politicians because they are well known. Hawa watu wanamalizwa na blue pill [In Kiswahili meaning: These people are finished by the blue pill],’’ he told the Nairobian.  He signed off the interview with a ‘say no to viagra’ slogan.

Politicians

The use of Viagra has been flagged in most mysterious deaths of most Kenyan politicians, some of which have been reported to be cardiac arrest in the hospital. Some of the cases include of former Wildlife and Environment minister Karisa Maitha who died of a heart attack in a hotel room in Germany. The other is of former Makueni County Senator Mutula Kilonzo who fell ill at his home in the middle of the night and died mysteriously. Another is of former Homa Bay County Senator Otieno Kajwang who died at Mater Hospital in Nairobi and the list is endless. In all the cases, family members denied claims of the use of the substance and cited other causes of deaths.

The same problem eating Kenya was reported in Southwest of US by the AP News, where deaths attributed to blue pill nicknamed ‘Mexican Oxy’ was documented. AP news reported that the tablet— described as fentanyl—had infiltrated the US black market and had caused deaths of young men.

The Kenya Essential Medicines List (KEML) 2019 does not list any sex boosting substance as a recommended drug. As a result, the Kenyan government prohibits the over the counter sale and use of Viagra.

Viagra is seen as the remedial mechanism for men with erectile dysfunction. But those with medical conditions such as heart problem, renal impairment, blood circulation issues and liver problems are advised against using it.

In an expansive article published by the Wall Street Journal on November 13, 2018, Rachel Brazil talks of sildenafil, a drug manufactured by Pfizer-that is currently involved in making COVID-19 vaccine. The writer admits that Viagra kills consumers but mostly those with pre-existing conditions like stroke, uncontrolled high pressure, cardiovascular problems or history of heart attack. What it does is increase blood circulation in the penile area thereby depriving the heart and other body tissues oxygen, hence, unlucky users collapse to their death.