An eight–year–old girl has died after drowning in a flooded trench at Mlolongo in Machakos County.
The Grade three learner at a private school within Mlolongo Township reportedly died after she slipped into the trench on Thursday.
Athi River East subcounty police commander Anderson Mbae said the incident occurred at about 2.00 pm in the Kathangaita area within the Mlolongo division.
Mbae said it was reported to Mlolongo police station shortly after it occurred.
“It was reported that the eight–year–old girl together with other children were playing child games near a flooded trench at Kathangaita when she accidentally slipped into the waters and drowned,” Mbae told the Star by phone on Thursday.
She said the waters had stagnated following heavy rains which had pounded the area.
“Police visited the scene and found the deceased’s body floating in waters of the trench that wasn’t well secured,” Mbae said.
The officers processed the scene and retrieved the body that had no visible injuries.
It was moved to Shalom Community Hospital’s mortuary awaiting postmortem.
The incident happened a day after the body of a 30–year–old man was retrieved from River Athi at Kenyatta village in Yatta, Machakos County on Wednesday.
The body was retrieved 25 kilometres downstream from the scene of the incident where the man had drowned on Tuesday.
The man was in the company of four other men when he was swept away by the waters.
The five men are said to have been crossing the river from Mwala to Yatta side when the tragedy struck.
The four successfully managed to cross the river.
In a similar incident in Matungulu subcounty, Zadakek Nyambane, 34, drowned while he attempted to cross the Ituma River within the Kantafu area.
Matungulu subcounty police commander Peter Omondi said the incident happened at around 9.30 am Tuesday.
"It was reported by a local administrator that Zadakek Nyambane, 34, Kantafu, resident, had attempted to cross a flooded culvert at a seasonal river before he was swept by the ravaging waters," Omondi told the Star on Tuesday.
Omondi said police with the assistance of members of the public retrieved the body after a long day's search in the River.
It was removed and taken to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy.
