Sorrow engulfed Kapropita village in Baringo county after a nine-year-old boy drowned while swimming in Chemorop River, within Kabarnet town on Friday, June 16, 2023.
The boy, who was a Grade Three learner at Visa Oshwal Primary School, was in the company of his four friends when they went for a swim in the river.
While confirming the incident, Kapropita Chief Daniel Kimaliny told K24 Digital that he was informed of the sad news by a resident.
He noted that one of the friends of the deceased rushed home to notify his parents after realizing that his friend had drowned.
"Once I received the call from a resident, I immediately rushed to the scene only to find grieved residents who had retrieved the body after they had been informed by one of the deceased's friends, the body of the young boy lying lifeless on the ground," Kimaliny said.
He regretted that the boy met his untimely death and urged residents to be vigilant with the river which is open and has some steep ends.
The chief also stated that he notified the police who came at around 3 pm and assessed the scene, recorded statements and moved the body to Baringo County Morgue.
Preliminary reports have it that the river has claimed 17 lives and that no action has been done by relevant authorities to prevent such calamities from taking place.
William Bowen, Visa Oshwal Headteacher, noted that he received a call from one of his teachers notifying him of the sad news.
He said that the school had sports activities and that the pupils who were not participating in the event were not to go to school.
The headteacher hinted that the deceased had not been in school the previous day not knowing the cause of the same.
Bowen urged the residents to be on the watch of their children to avoid such future predicaments from happening.
Prisca Chebotibin, a local resident, told K24 Digital that they were lost for words due to the sorrow that had engulfed the area.
She, however, pleaded with the relevant authorities to act swiftly and fence the place as a safety measure to prevent loss of lives.
"We are deeply grieved by the drowning incident, we however call upon the relevant authorities to act swiftly and fence the river in order to prevent future loss of lives through the same," she lamented.
