A team of divers including friends of a man who drowned in River Nyamindi in Ngucui village, Kirinyiga County, on Saturday, February 4, recounted the tough conditions in which they operated during the recovery.
The friends of Kelvin Muthomi who died on Thursday, February 2, while celebrating his birthday with his family and friends, announced they recovered his body from under a rock.
While speaking to Journalists after the recovery, the friends gave an account of the last moments of Muthomi, noting that he had asked for an off day to celebrate his birthday on the fateful day.
According to Muthomi's friends, the hotelier slipped and fell into the deep ends of River Nyamindi as his wife watched helplessly at the banks.
An earlier witness noted that the deceased and his wife had asked for drinking water moments before heading to the rocks along River Nyamindi.
Chief diver Dunson Murango explained that the recovery was miraculous in nature due to the bad conditions of River Nyamindi.
"The body was stuck under some rocks and the water was extremely cold but we had to help his family which was in agony," Murango recounted.
The divers noted that they had to persevere through the deep river, strong currents and huge rocks to retrieve the body of the hotelier.
Muthomi's family expressed their gratitude to the Kirinyaga divers who gave their all to recover the body of their kin for a befitting burial.
In particular, the deceased father, Duncan Mutuma, noted that even though in grief and pain, his family was relieved after the recovery of the body.
"My son and his girlfriend were planning to get married and he had already informed me. He had come in this river to celebrate his 24th birthday when the incident happened," Mutuma explained.
Mutuma also revealed that the son's body was retrieved on Friday, February 3, at around 7:30 pm after hours of a search exercise that involved a number of divers.
Muthomi's body was later moved to Kibugi funeral home where government pathologists will conduct an autopsy.
In the meantime, the family announced that burial arrangements were underway, even as they cautioned revelers from taking risks at the deadly river.
Until he met his death, Kevin Muthomi, who hailed from Meru county, worked as a hotelier at Kimbimbi town in Mwea constituency, Kirinyaga County.
