Kirinyaga family in mourning after son drowns in River Nyamindi

According to the boy's mother, Melody Nyaguthii, she was informed that her son, a Form Two student at Kiaritha Secondary School in Kirinyaga central constituency had drowned on Friday, but no further details were given.

"I'm still in shock and wondering how my son could have found his way to Nyamindi River in Mwea, over 20 kilometers away from Mukinduri village," she said.

The boy's  grand father, Paul Muriuki Ruita, said he was informed of the tragedy by Mururi residents and could not believe it .

"I thought I was dreaming after I was called by one of the Mururi residents while I was at my place of work. He told me that my grandson drowned far away from our village," he said.

One of the residents of Mururi, Dan Murango, said the boy was seen riding a bicycle  with  his friend along the Mwea-Embu highway and on reaching the Nyamindi bridge they decided to drink water and in the process, one of them fell  and drowned.

"The boy's friend raised an alarm but by the time people reached the scene, the boy had already drowned," he said.

Nyaguthii, who is a trader at Kerugoya market, said  she had  bought her son a christmas gift and could not believe that he was no more.

The local divers and the firefighters from the county government of Kirinyaga led by Shujaa John Kiama are leading retrieval efforts.