Woman, man die after their Nissan X-Trail 'gently moves' and sinks in Juja dam

Divers at a dam in Juja, Kiambu County where a vehicle with two occupants sank on January 18, 2023. [Gitau Wanyoike, Standard]

Police in Juja, Kiambu County are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sinking of a car into a dam, resulting in two deaths.

The victims, a man and a woman, were in their vehicle, Nissan X-Trail, when it gently moved and sank into the dam, eyewitnesses said.

It remains unclear what led to the car rolling into the dam without the two attempting to hop out.

Was it deliberately driven into the lake? Was the gear shift mechanism on neutral and, therefore, rolled into the lake without the occupants realising it? These are some of the questions being asked.

According to witnesses, the vehicle was parked on the shore of the dam on Tuesday night, January 17 before it slowly began moving into the water at around 10pm.

The victims' bodies were retrieved on Wednesday, January 18. The woman's body was found in the morning and that of the man recovered in the afternoon.

Authorities said the woman was likely in her twenties while the man was in his early forties.

The vehicle was yet to be retrieved from the dam as of the time of publishing this story.

Murera Ward MCA Ngatha Wambiri told The Standard that police took the victims' bodies to City Mortuary in Nairobi County.

"I'm urging the national government, or even the county government, to fence off the five dams in Juja. Many people usually come here to relax. However, where alcohol is involved, judgement is usually impaired, leading to unfortunate incidents that could have been avoided," he said.