Woman, 20, saves 8-year-old girl but dies in the process

Five days after Dorcas Tiren, 20, drowned in Perkera River, her body is yet to be retrieved, with her family contemplating hiring a witchdoctor to help recover Tiren’s remains.

Tiren drowned Saturday after she dived into the river and saved 8-year-old Caren Kimosop, who was being swept away by the raging waters.

The 20-year-old woman, who hails from Ngambo Location in Ichamus Ward, Baringo County, had visited her uncle in Marigat, when she met her death.

On Saturday, Tiren expressed the desire to tour Perkera River, and Caren Kimosop, the daughter of a neighbour, offered to tour her around.

While at the river, Caren decided to swim, but was overpowered by the tide of the watercourse, prompting Tiren to dive into the river to save the 8-year-old girl.

Tiren managed to rescue Caren, but was overpowered by the tides as she attempted to get out of the river.

The rescuer was swept into the deeper end of the river, and her body is yet to be retrieved nearly a week later.

Tiren’s parents have since camped on the banks of the river -- day in, day out -- hoping to find the body of their loved one.

At night, the family usually lights up lamps as the body-retrieval mission continues in earnest.

Divers from Cheploch and Lake Baringo claim the spot in which Tiren drowned, is “so deep, and has a rocky base”. They fear the woman could have been trapped beneath.

The divers further say they are unable to get to the bottom of the river because of “lack of diving gear, complexity of the terrain and the speed of the flowing waters”.

“Even as we offer to help in recovering Tiren’s body, we are aware that the river’s terrain is very hostile, and we can’t risk our lives by diving into the watercourse without wearing appropriate protective gear. Unfortunately, we do not have the gears,” Waziri Kemboi, a diver in Baringo, told K24 Digital Wednesday, February 19.

Tiren’s uncle, Wilson Letiren, says the family has since opted for the services of a local witchdoctor to help in the body-retrieval exercise.

“We have endured agonising moments, including spending nights on the banks of the river, since our girl drowned,” Letiren told K24 Digital.

James Komen, a resident of Marigat, claimed that at least ten lives have -- in the recent past --been lost in Perkera River in similar circumstances.

“Both levels of government should equip divers with gears so that the rescuers can swiftly swing into action should a resident or visitor drown in the river,” said Komen.

Marigat Location chief, Titus Katikit, urged the State to deploy well-equipped divers to help in retrieval of Tiren’s body.

Baringo South Sub-County police commander, Benjolive Munuve, assured residents that the national government would send professional divers anytime beginning Wednesday, February 19.