- The man is from Mokowe in Lamu west.
- Its not clear whether he was swimming or drowned deliberately.
A-26 -year old man drowned in the Indian Ocean in Lamu on Sunday evening.
Shafi Omar who hails from Mokowe was taking a walk along Shella Beach in Lamu town when he plunged into the ocean at the Shella channel, a notorious hotspot.
The channel is characterised by massively strong winds and heavy tides in all seasons.
It's, however, unclear whether it was an accident or suicide.
“Normally when someone intends to swim, they remove their clothes, shoes and put them at a particular spot on the beach. But for this one, there is nothing to show. No clothes, nothing. It’s like he swam with his clothes on," Muhsin Abbad, a local diver, said.
"The fact that he came all the way from Mokowe also raises a lot of questions. We are not making any conclusions but we feel all theories should be investigated.”
Lamu county commander Moses Murithi confirmed the incident and said the man was overpowered by the rough tides at the area. He said a search was still on for the body.
“The man was alone and decided to swim but unfortunately drowned. We think it’s the strong winds at that particular location. We have deployed marine police who are working with local divers to recover the body,” Murithi said.
He warned the public against swimming in dangerous channels in the region.
Lamu County Disaster Response team leader Abdulaziz Luqman said a team of four divers has been camping at the Shella Channel since Sunday in search of the body.
The search was, however, being hampered by waves and tides in the area.
“We are yet to retrieve the body but are optimistic. We shall keep searching till we do,” he said.
The Shella Channel is listed among the deadliest areas on the Indian Ocean. Others are Mlango wa Tanu in Mkokoni, Mlango wa Ali in Kiwayu, Mlango wa Bomani in Kiunga, the Manda Bruno channel, the Mkanda Channel and Mlango wa Kipungani.
Hundreds have perished in these channels and the numbers keep rising each year.