Class 8 boy drowns in bid to retrieve shoe

River Thiba

A Standard Eight pupil drowned in Thiba river while trying to retrieve his plastic sandals from the river.

Isaac Ngumbi, 15, who was on his way to a friend's party, had stopped by the river upon seeing his three colleagues shortly after 6.00pm on Saturday.

"He sat on the river bank with his legs partially in the water after which one sandal came off and started drifting downstream," said an eye witness, Agnes Wanja.

The boy then jumped into the river to retrieve the shoe but was swept away. Efforts by his colleagues to rescue him were fruitless.

Police officers from a nearby Patrol Base were unable to rescue him due to darkness.
Sunday morning, the officers with the help of a local fisherman managed to retrieve the body.

Shortly after 10am, a fisherman, Daniel Kariuki, dived into the cold water and pulled out the body, which had been entangled by a root.

The body was later moved to a nearby private mortuary.

Police said the tragedy was being treated as an accident.