Boy, 11, drowns while playing along River Tana

An 11-year-old boy drowned after he fell into River Tana while collecting plastic bottles with friends for their games.

The boy, Evans Mutemi, is said to have been chatting with other mates as they played along the river banks in Mororo on Thursday morning.

Martin Mutua, a playmate aged 12 who witnessed the incident, said Mutemi went into the water to pick his plastic bottle. However, the rift fell off and he slipped into the water.

Mutua together with the other friends immediately left to call out for help. However, the boy had already drowned.

The family is asking the Kenya Red Cross to help in recovering the body.

Residents said the authorities are slow to respond to disasters especially for cases of people who have drowned in River Tana.

Nominated Garissa Township MCA Teresia Queen said it has almost become a norm that lives are lost in the same river.

She said the government should fence off the shores of River Tana to avoid such cases.

“We urge the government to respond to our plea and make sure that residents are safe from crocodiles and even hippopotamus,” Queen said.

Rev Muthanga Njau, a resident of Mororo said they received the information about the boy at noon and immediately contacted the Red Cross team.

He said the county government should have a response team to make it easy to communicate with residents in such cases.

“We request for a standby motorboat and expert divers. This will make it easier to save a life as soon as an incident like this occurs, rather than having to wait for too long,” Njau said.

“Parents should also be aware of their children's whereabouts, to ensure they are safe from any harm,” he added.

River Tana has crocodiles and hippos which are linked to the death of many residents.

The river, which also has naked banks and fast-flowing waters has claimed several lives through drowning.

The father of the boy could not speak to the media at the time.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)