Dozens continue to lose their lives in killer Murang'a rivers

Dozens of Murang'a residents have lost their lives after drowning as they seek to have fun in local rivers.

The most notorious rivers are Mathioya and Sagana which have beautiful and inviting sceneries.

Peter Kamau, a Kangema resident, told the Star that Mathioya River has many dangerous spots, but that its calmness and inviting scenery along its banks lures people.

The river snakes from the Aberdare forest in Mathioya through Kangema and Murang'a East subcounties before joining Sagana River to form Tana River.

Kamau said many have lost their lives in the river, including primary school pupils, saying that those who decide to go on swimming expeditions in rivers should be aware of the dangers they expose themselves to.

He said the river has calm but deep pools while other areas have rocky bottoms in which swimmers can get stuck. 

Sagana River is used by many adventurers for water sports, including kayaking and canoeing due to its rough waters, and attracts both local and foreign tourists.

On Sunday, a fun expedition ended in a tragedy after two students from Michuki Technical Training Institute in Murang'a drowned in river Mathioya.

The two were taking photos at a spot that has breathtaking water fall and beautiful scenery when the accident occurred on Sunday evening.

They are said to have drowned after a student identified as Hellen Akinyi slipped into the river, prompting her friend, Daniel Kaguanyu, to jump in after her in an attempt to save her.

Residents camped at the river the entire evening as divers tried to save them but by dusk, their efforts were yet to bear fruits.

Paul Kalawa, a student at the institution, said he spent the day with the two students before they decided to go to the river.

“Nobody knew that they would lose their lives in the river,” he said, urging his fellow students to desist from going to the river to swim or take photos.

OCPD Phillip Wambugu said students often visit the area, adding that the divers were working hard to retrieve the bodies of the two.

Wambugu urged students to desist from going to the river, especially areas where other people have lost their lives before.

The retrieval exercise was called off Monday evening after it was disrupted by heavy rains.

Michuki Technical Training Institute principal John Ndirangu said the two students had gone to the river to have fun when the incident occurred.

In 2018, another student from the institution drowned in a similar accident.

A friend who had accompanied Linet Wanjiku, 18, said she slipped into the river while taking photos on her mobile phone. Her body was found on the banks of the river.

Just a week ago, three pupils from Mabae Primary School lost their lives while swimming along Kiama River in Gatanga.

Two of the boys were in Class 7, while the other was in Class 6. They were leaving Kirwara shopping centre where they had gone for a shave and were on their way home when they decided to swim in the river.

 The boys were identified as Maxwell Mwaura, Reagan Karanja and John Mambo.

Two bodies were retrieved on the same day while another was retrieved the following day by local divers, with Gatanga MP Nduati Ngugi calling for the fencing of the blackspot area of the river.

In 2019, a nine-year-old boy from Kanyenya-ini Kangema drowned after accidentally slipping into River Mathioya.

Kelvin Muchiri, a pupil at Holy Rosary Primary, was in the company of a couple of his friends when the accident happened.

The pupils were crossing the bridge connecting Rwathia and Kenyenya-ini wards when he fell into the swollen river.

His body was retrieved hours later a few metres from the spot where he fell.

In 2020, 45-year-old Stephen Weru and his two sons Collins Weru, 17, and Elvis Weru, 11, drowned in the crocodiles-infested Sagana river after the canoe they were using to cross the river capsized.

Weru, a deputy principal at Karema-ini Secondary School, and his sons decided to access their farm in Thangathi village from Kirinyaga county to avoid using a rocky road before the tragedy occurred.

They took the shorter route through Sagana to Riandira village where they packed their car on the river bank and got into the canoe.

They were, however, overwhelmed by the fast waters and the canoe capsized midway.

Weru’s farmhand who was working near the scene of the accident is said to have heard their screams and rushed to the river as he raised the alarm but neighbours  were unable to save them.

Collins had managed to jump out of the canoe but when he saw his father and brother drowning, he jumped back in an attempt to save them but also drowned.

In the same year, 29-year-old Elizabeth Wanjiru from Kayuyu village in Kiharu subcounty, drowned while crossing the river on her way to Makutano market in Kirinyaga county.

The canoe had five occupants but only Wanjiru, who was seven months pregnant, lost her life.

Residents have decried the lack of bridges and the haphazard use and overloading of canoes.

(edited by Amol Awuor)