The body was retrieved at around 9 am on Thursday.
It, however, remains unclear how the man got into the septic tank before his demise.
The incident happened at Kathemboni village in Kiima Kimwe location in Machakos county. The scene of the incident is on the outskirts of Machakos Township.
Police with the assistance of the public, Kenya Red Cross Society personnel, Machakos County Government Rescue team, alongside National Government Administration Officers, successfully retrieved the body from the septic tank, said to be 20 feet.
It was removed to Machakos Level 5 Hospital mortuary.
The incident attracted lots of onlookers who milled around the scene as the rescue mission was ongoing.
An official from the Kenya Red Cross Society, Machakos branch, said Machakos County is in dire need of rescue equipment to ease operations whenever there are such incidents.
Incidents of people dying in manholes and septic tanks alongside other neglected open holes have been on the rise in Machakos County, with landlords and landowners to blame.
A three-and-a-half-year-old – old boy on February 2 drowned in a manhole at Mlolongo Phase 3 estate in Athi River, Machakos County.
The minor reportedly died after he fell into the manhole at a building under construction in the said area.
The incident shocked the locals, who called for urgent, necessary actions by relevant authorities.
They said it wasn’t the first time a child had fallen into the same manhole and died.
The boy’s mother, Janet Nyaboke, said the deceased was her only child.
“I received a phone call from someone informing me that my child had fallen into the manhole and drowned. I was at my workplace when the incident happened,” Nyaboke told the Star at the scene on February 3, 2025.
Residents said there were many open pits, manholes, septic tanks, and pit latrines in the area.
