Grief has engulfed Githaruru village in Gatundu South, Kiambu County after three middle-aged men died while drawing water from a borehole for irrigation on Tuesday, October 25.
The three, are among two brothers Earnest Karuru, 29, and George Gateri, 26, who were pumping water from a 25-feet borehole at their farm when the tragedy struck.
According to their mother Regina Wanjiru, Karuru who was inside the borehole operating the water pump collapsed and drowned after he ran out of oxygen.
After failing to respond to his distress calls, his brother Gateri who was irrigating crops near the borehole rushed to rescue him from the thin water source when he also ran out of oxygen and collapsed.
“The two collapsed inside the borehole and the incident left me screaming for help. I could not understand how they all collapsed yet they have been fetching water from the source for a long time now,” explained Wanjiru.
Another 22-year-old Evans Mburu Mwatha, a neighbour who was responding to screams from Wanjiru dared to rescue the two from the water source when he also collapsed and drowned forcing neighbours to respond in numbers.
“This left me totally confused but by the time I was screaming, more neighbours came in to help in the retrieval process,” added Wanjiru.
3 retrieved from borehole
After their retrieval from the borehole, the three were rushed to Gatundu Level Five hospital where they were all pronounced dead sending their families into tears and disbelief.
Two more men from the village who had gone to the rescue of the three deceased persons were rescued by members of the public and rushed to the same hospital for admission in fair condition.
Distressed Wanjiru who spoke to journalists regretted that the two sons were very resourceful as they were the family providers.
She stated that due to poverty, her family might not be able to foot the burial expenses and urged well-wishers to support her and accord her sons a decent send-off.
“They were my providers. I’m yet to believe the people who used to do the shopping for me are no longer in existence. The incident has left me poorer and I cannot even be able to foot the burial expenses,” said Wanjiru.
Her sentiments were echoed by Agnes Wangari, her daughter who broke the news of their passing on who insisted that the deaths had plunged the family into total confusion.
Shocked residents called on the government to alleviate joblessness among the youth, a crisis they blamed for the deaths as the three young men were educated but had no jobs.
“It is not for joblessness that brought the three to the village after going through school, they would be alive and making money in town. The government should do everything possible to create jobs for our youths who are still roaming in the villages,” Alice Wangari, a villager said.
Bodies of the three deceased persons were taken to Gatundu mortuary even as investigators continued with investigations to establish how the incident occurred.
