•The ditch was filled with water from the heavy rains.
•His parents were away at work.
A Standard 1 pupil of Marasi Primary School in Maungu, Taita Taveta county, died on Thursday evening after he drowned in a water pit.
Voi subcounty police commander Joseph Chesire said the body of Emmanuel Mwachofi, 5, was found in a ditch full of water. It is suspected he fell while playing with other children.
“There are open pits within their compound which are now filled with water due to the heavy rains. He was playing with his friends after school but he must have accidentally fallen in one of the ditches,” Chesire said.
His parents were away when the incident happened, the police boss said.
“Nobody could rescue the poor boy because his parents had not returned home from work."
Police moved his body to Moi County Referral Hospital morgue in Voi for postmortem examination.
The police boss warned parents against leaving unattended open pits within their homes saying it poses a risk to children.
The incident happened even as residents are counting losses after floods swept their houses following a heavy downpour earlier this week.
Red Cross county coordinator Joram Oranga said a team had been sent to assess the situation in the affected areas.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)