UPDATE: The woman was identified as Rahab Mwangi of Kinangop who faced death on her way home from the shopping centre in Kitiri, Kinangop Constituency on Thursday, May 7.
"The rains had subsided and I decided to head home. We had used the crossing path before and when I tried to pass through I was carried away," Mwangi narrated her ordeal.
She added that even though she wasn't a good swimmer she opted to try to save her life as she had seen people swim before.
Steven Njomo, the neighbour captured in the video rescuing her stated, "I saw her drowning and no one was helping her, so I decided to jump in and save her."
Here is the video of Rahab's narration about her ordeal in the swollen river:
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The rains that are being experienced in many parts of the country have come with their share of good and bad fortunes.
As farmers rejoice with the abundance of water for their farms some areas in the country have witnessed flooding as has been reported in the Budalangi plains, a landslide in Chesogon, West Pokot County, and roads have been destroyed in some parts of the country.
The extreme of the precipitation has led to rivers flooding forcing many residents to resort to extreme and dangerous measures to commute.
One such case is in an undated video that surfaced online on Friday, May 8, where locals are seen trying to cross a swollen river in Central region.
In the clip, the two (a man and a woman) manage to make it halfway through the river and try to make a makeshift bridge with branches.
The man who is leading manages to make it across as he holds on to a tree by the river for support.
When it gets to the woman's turn, she appears to be hesitant and the people on the other side assure her that she will be able to get across, if she hangs on to the tree branch. She carefully prods and walks through the river but unfortunately lets go of the tree branch too early and the water sweeps her off her feet.
At this time the onlookers begin to wail urging someone to jump in and rescue her. The woman is swept by the river a couple of metres downstream and luckily a man reaches for her when she gets to a point where the river current is not very strong.
With several yanks of the branch she was holding onto, the man manages to pull the terrified woman to safety at the river bank. Other residents join him to rescue the woman.
Here is the video:
Such near-death incidences have been observed during rainy periods. In April 2020, two boda boda riders had a brush with death while attempting to cross a flooded river on their motorbikes.
The weatherman has warned of more rains to come in the month of May 2020. According to reports from various agencies, the ongoing floods have already claimed 194 lives in the country and left thousands homeless.
In addition to issuing warnings to people in flood-prone areas to move to higher grounds, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i on Monday, April 20, ordered for a mass evacuation of people in 7 counties.
In the notice, the CS stated that that counties, Murang'a, Taita Taveta, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Garissa, Tana River and Kitui had been identified as highly prone to landslides during this year's rainy season.
