Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. on Monday condoled with families who lost their loved ones through drowning while attempting to cross the Muatineni River aboard a truck.
Mutula said this at Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital, where he met the bereaved families, and added that the accident was a tragedy that could have been avoided if the bridge was constructed to the required standard and if people were patient enough to allow the water level to subside.
So far, 10 people have died, 14 have been rescued, and four are still missing.
The search for the missing persons is still ongoing downstream, led by a multi-agency team of emergency officers.
“The County government has waived postmortem fees for the dead and will also support the families to purchase coffins so as to lessen the financial burden associated with the burial,” said Mutula while addressing the media on Monday.
In this regard, he said the county government will train more local volunteers on safety and rescue so as to avert any further loss of life in such calamities.
By Patrick Nyakundi
