Three fishermen have been arrested in Homa Bay County over the death of their colleague who drowned under unclear circumstances.
The fishermen who hail from Wadiang’a beach in Suba Sub-County were arrested and detained for interrogation at Sindo Police Post.
The fishermen were implicated in the death of their colleague identified as Dancun Omondi alias Nelly who slipped from a moving boat and drowned in the Lake Victoria on Saturday evening.
The four fishermen left Wadiang’a beach and went to fish near Takawiri Island in the neigbouring Suba North Sub-county.
According to the Secretary of Wadiang’a Beach Management Unit Collins Ochieng’, the deceased disagreed with one of the three fishermen before a commotion broke out in the boat.
It is suspected that the disagreement degenerated further prompting the two to stand up in the moving boat with intention of exchanging blows and in the process Omondi slipped from the boat and fell into the lake.
“The fishermen said Omondi slipped when he was going to exchange blows with the colleague he had disagreed with,” Ochieng said.
He said efforts by the other fishermen to rescue him were futile as the body sunk into the lake.
Ochieng said that the fishermen went into the lake when they were drunk.
“The fishermen drank alcohol at a local beach before they went fishing. I think they were acting under influence of alcohol which is rampant in our beaches,” Ochieng’ said.
He said Omondi’s body has so far not been recovered but a search was underway.
Suba Sub-County Police Commander Antony Njeru said the three men have been detained for further interrogation on what caused their colleague’s death.
“We don’t know whether they killed him and dumped his body in the lake or the fisherman drowned after slipping from the boat as they say.
Investigations will reveal the truth,” Njeru, adding that he will hand over the suspects to his colleagues in the Mbita Sub-county where the incident occurred.
“We are going to hand them to our colleagues in Mbita Sub-county to probe the matter further because the incident occurred in their jurisdiction,” Njeru said.
By Davis Langat
