Diver's body yet to be retrieved from Chebloch gorge in Baringo

A diver in action at Cheploch gorge in Baringo County. [File, Standard]

The body of a diver who was swept away by raging waters at Chebloch gorge in Baringo County on Friday is yet to be retrieved.

The diver Rodger Kiplimo, 25, was swept away after making a daring dive into the swollen gorge following the ongoing rains in the country.

On Tuesday, irate residents blocked the Eldoret-Kabarnet road connecting the Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Uasin Gishu counties, to demand support from the government in retrieving the body.

Calm was restored following the intervention of the security officers and Baringo county officials.

Kiplimo’s wife, Jeniffer Ngetich, said that he left on Friday for the tourism site, promising to return.

“I was sick that day, he had promised to come and take me to the hospital at noon, only to receive the devastating news of his death,” Ngetich said.

She revealed that her husband was the breadwinner and perished while fending for his family.

Ngetich said that her husband was also a motorcycle rider and would go diving to supplement the income.

Baringo Director in charge of disaster management Mike Baimet said that Kiplimo, a diver from Emsea in Keiyo South, was swept away by the raging waters.

He regretted that on Saturday the raging water made it increasingly difficult to continue with the search operation.

“The issue was solved after we intervened with security officers and the county government to allow the operation to continue in recovering the body,” he said.

Baimet decried the lack of logistics and food in supporting the family in retrieving the body.

“We have since delivered food and logistics, and will be accompanied by the Red Cross to help in the operation. We had a fruitful discussion, we hope the body will be found to enable the family to conduct the burial rites,” he said.