A student from the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology lost his life on Thursday, November 21, during a swimming escapade with his classmates at the Sagana River Falls in Nyeri County.
According to a correspondent based in the county who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, the student identified as Ezra Mwangi Njenga, was in the company of others who came for a scenic view of the falls but later decided to have a swim at the foot of the 100ft falls.
“The students came here in the evening using a public matatu. Ezra decided to swim like the other students but unfortunately sunk in the deep waters,” explained the journalist.
“The student left his clothes and a head turban at the banks of the river and didn’t make it out. Despite efforts from colleagues and local divers to trace him in time, the student couldn’t be saved from the raging water waves,” added the journalist.
Despite locals who are conversant with the waters initiating a body retrieval exercise on Friday morning, by nightfall their efforts had not borne fruits.
“The river is flooded because of the continued rains in the area and this is slowing down the search exercise. We only hope that the body has not been drained downstream which would make the exercise harder,” remarked a local rescuer.
It was even more painful for the parents who had come all the way from Nyandarua County to the scene where a son was lost, their hope being that the body would be retrieved for a proper burial.
According to a Kenya Red Cross officer who visited the scene, the students got to the foot of the falls despite a warning not to get to the risky points.
“There is a warning indicating the points that should not be crossed but the students didn’t heed to it,” explained the officer.
“It is very risky to swim in the river especially during this rainy season. The waters rise dangerously to very high levels that one can easily drown in them,” added the officer.
By the time of going to press, rescue efforts were still ongoing involving the Kenya Red Cross, the county government of Nyeri and the local volunteers.
In 2016 a 15-year-old girl commited suicide by jumping 100ft down the falls landing into a 70-foot deep pool.
