Tragedy struck Kapsinendet village in Angata Barkoi area in Trans Mara West in Sub County when an 11-year-old boy drowned in River Kapsinendet in on the eve of the New Year.
Confirming the incident, Trans Mara West Sub County Police Commander Mr. James Kilonzo said the boy, identified as Shadrack Kimutai, was trying to cross River Kapsinendet when he was swept away by the raging waters at around 5:00pm.
The body was retrieved and moved to Kegonga Hospital Mortuary in Kuria East in the neighbouring Migori county pending post-mortem and further investigations into the incident.
There has been an increase in drowning cases in Narok and in the country especially during heavy rains. Mid last week, a 30-year-old man drowned in River Ewaso Ngiro in Narok North in Ewaso-ngiro area in Sub County as he was fixing a water pump on the river in order to irrigate his crops.
In mid last month, a 20-year-old Maasai moran drowned in a dam in Ole Sere village in Talek area in Narok West sub-county when bathing in the dam.
According to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO); 40 people drown in the world every hour, three of them being young people. Kenya is placed at position 19 among 172 countries of the world with the highest rates of accidental drowning with a rate of 9.85 out of every 100,000 people (about 10 percent).
Drowning is a serious and neglected public health threat claiming the lives of 372, 000 people a year worldwide. According to the WHO report, more than 90 per cent of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The report further reveals that over half of all those who drown are those aged below 25 years, thus it’s said drowning disaster kills more children than measles or tuberculosis!
Africa also has the highest number of drowning cases in the world with drowning mortality rate at 13.1 per 100,000 populations, but clear data is not available in most African countries. This makes it difficult for governments to make informed decisions that can reduce or remove this disaster.
By Mabel Keya –Shikuku
