Three family members drown in dam in Kwale County

Three members of an extended family drowned in Zigira Dam in Kinondo, Kwale County, on Friday evening.

They included an eight-year-old girl, Saum Nassor Mbulu, who drowned while swimming with friends.

Her 35-year-old cousin Said Gushe tried to rescue her after the other children raised the alarm.

However, he was overwhelmed and their uncle, Hassan Azaro ,40, rushed to help, but he also drowned.

Juma Kitondo, who was among the first people to reach the scene, said the two men drowned while holding the girl as they tried to swim to safety.

“We could not have done anything else after the two rescuers drowned because darkness had set in. We watched helplessly,” he said.

The girl’s father, Nassor Mbulu yesterday said the family was numb with sorrow.

Mr Mbulu said his daughter was a pupil at Kilole Primary School and he had last seen her on Thursday because she had gone to see her mother, whom they separated.

Fence dams

Said Manyonge, another witness, said the men were expert swimmers and their death was a great loss.

“I am also a swimmer with six years’ experience, but when I saw my colleagues drowning I lost hope,” he said.

A rescue team led by the Red Cross Society, police officers and county officials arrived at the scene at 7pm and after assessing the area decided to retrieve the bodies in the morning.

The dam which is a project of Kwale International Sugar Company is said to have no outlet, hence the water levels can rise.

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya directed the company to fence dams and put notices to alert the public.

Area MCA Juma Maone called on the County Government to ensure that there is a fully equipped standby rescue team to handle any emergencies.

The bodies were retrieved yesterday by the Kenya Navy.