Kakamega woman electrocuted as husband admitted to hospital

A woman died and her husband was admitted to hospital in critical condition after they were electrocuted.

Violet Shambetsa,28, was hanging clothes on a line that had been connected to two power poles when she suffered electric shocks. She died on the spot.

Her husband, Manos Shambets, was hit by the electric current as he tried to save his wife.

"I didn't know she had been electrocuted. I started cutting the cloth line only to be struck by electric waves. I later found myself in this hospital. While I thank God I am alive, I am sad that I lost my wife. It was a terrifying moment that I do not wish to recall," Shambetsa said.

The incident in Lumino village, Kakamega County came just hours after another man was electrocuted in the nearby Chemoset village.

Likuyani OCPD Meshack Kiptum said the couple were servants at the home of one Paul Masingila. "Violet's husband rushed to save her but instead of switching off the power, he used a knife to cut the electric cable. That is when he also suffered electric shock," Kiptum said.

Kiptum urged residents to be careful and call an electrician whenever they suspects an electric fault.

"There is need to create awareness on how to handle electricity. Let us speak about the dangers of electricity to prevent deaths in future. This incident occurred due to ignorance as the victims tried to handle naked live power lines," said Kiptum.

Another family in Chemoset village on the Kakamega-Uasin Gishu border is also in grief after a 50-year-old man was electrocuted.

Jacob Ogola died after handling a cloth line that had been connected to a power line. His body was taken to Chebaiywa mortuary in Uasin Gishu County.