• He was washing his clothes on the shore of the lake before seeing a college student slip into the water.
• He then rushed, trying to rescue him but instead drowned while residents managed to save the college student.
Image: JOSEPH KANGOGO
A secondary school boy was just washing his clothes on the shores of flooded Lake Baringo on Saturday. It could have been any Saturday.
Then he saw a group of college students admiring the scenery, when one slipped on a slimy rock, fell into the water and screamed for help.
The boy jumped in to rescue him but in the process he himself drown.
Baringo North OCPD Fredrick Odinga said rescue team has already been dispatched to retrieve the body of the student who drowned Saturday night.
“It is still early to say anything because we are yet to get enough information,” Oding’a said on Sunday.
The lake is filled with hippos and crocodiles.
Lake Baringo Community Water Rescue and Safety International (WRSI) chairman Joshua Chepsergon reported the victim was a student at Lake Baringo Secondary school.
Chepsergon said the boy was washing his school uniforms during the weekend break on the shallow shore of the lake when he saw a college students slide into the lake. He was with fellow classmates.
“He hurriedly jumped in attempting to rescue the student but he couldn’t manage to rescue him, instead, the boy who was not a strong swimmer, drowned," he said.
The WRSI said other people rushed to rescue the college student, but failed to find the secondary school boy. “Divers from Kenya Police and Kenya Red-Cross have already arrived to help recover the missing body,” he said.
He called upon local or foreign tourists visiting the flooded lake to be more vigilant while walking around to view the amazing features of the lake.
“The swollen lake has slippery wooden debris and stones that could easily make someone slide and fall into the deep water mass,” Chepsergon said.
He recommended tourists hire guides and boats available at the beaches to guide them around the lake.
HIPPOS AND CROCS
Almost two weeks ago , 65-year-old fisherman Reuben Chelimowas pursued and killed by a furious hippo on September 10.
Image: JOSEPH KANGOGO
He was fishing at the shallow lake shore section ay around 1pm when the furious mother-hippo jumped out of the water, chased, attacked and killed him on the spot.
“The man threw a stone to scare away the animal then went ahead to cast his net to fish but little did the man know the hippo’s calf was just nearby ” a resident Paul Kimaiwa said.
Upon seeing her calf near the fisherman, the hippo returned swiftly, pursued the man until it got hold of him and killed him.
Reportedly t hippos and crocodiles have multiplied in numbers since the water levels in the lake flooded due to heavy rains since July last year.
Due to increased water levels more deaths of drowning and attacks by wild animals have been reported.
Experts attribute the enormous swelling of the lake to heavy rains owing to climate change, massive deforestation over cultivation and geology.
Lake Baringo warden Jackson Komen urged people to going close to the lake or approaching wild animals.
The residents are also calling upon Kenya Wildlife Service to instal a post at Kampi ya Samaki so they can can constantly be on security patrols around the lake. lake.
They call upon the government to compensate families or those killed and injured.
KWS Baringo warden David Cheruiyot condoled with the affected families calling on residents to report invading hostile animals before they attack and kill.
“Then we can fast-track investigations and prior compensation in case of valid cases” Cheruiyot said.
(Edited by V. Graham)