Fredrick Omondi a boat captain at Lake Naivasha was lauded for his heroism after he dived to the bottom of the lake to rescue a baby that had been trapped inside a sinking boat.
The three-year-old was part of a tourist contingent that had hired the boat for a tour of the lake to have a sight of the hippos that roam the water body.
Area residents accused a local flower farm of the accident that caused the boat to capsize.
They noted that during the low rains season, the flower farm had erected metal barriers to prevent entry into the lake.
When the rains started, the flower farm did not remove the barriers which were now covered by water. These metal bars tore into the side of the boat causing it to capsize.
“So, boat iligonga ile chuma ikazama. Kuna mtoto alikwama chini ya kiti na hangeweza kutoka. Boat ikamfunika na ikaanza kuzama kwenda chini ndio mimi nikazama pia kuenda kumusaidia nikamtoa (The boat crashed into the metallic barrier and started sinking. A child was stuck under one of the seats and couldn't move so the boat drowned him as it sank. So I dived after the boat and rescued the child),” narrated Omondi.
Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association Chairman called on the authorities to take action on the farm's management over the accident.
In 2015, another boat capsized in the lake leaving three fishermen dead, with three others being rescued after spending the night in the cold waters.
Below is the video courtesy of NTV:
