Ten months later! Juja dam still silently taking lives

Three people, among them a university student, have recently drowned while taking a swim at the Juja dam in Kiambu.

The recent deaths bring into memory the January 18 incident, where a man and his female companion died after their car slid into the deep waters of dam. The story made national headlines for weeks.

According to the residents, the recent cases have not received media attention – but that does not wash away the fact that they were tragic and untimely.

A diver who has been involved in rescue operations at the dam told Wananchi Reporting that a certain uncontrolled section of the dam continues to pose danger to revellers.

“One of the cases happened this october involving a male university student who came to have fun with a group of friends before tragedy struck,” said the diver.

The diver is one of the 37 divers and fire fighters the county government of Kiambu has deployed to man the over dozen dams in the county.

According to the diver, the body of the student was spotted floating in the waters.

“The young men were swimming in the waters after partying and having fan around the dam when one of them drowned,” said the diver.

“His friends fled when he drowned. We found his clothes and phone at the edge of the dam,” said the diver.

According to the diver, most of those who drowned were young people out to have fun at the uncontrolled areas of the dam.  

He said that divers have saved four people from drowning – pulling them out of the water just before their last gulp of water.

Residents and business operators in the area feel that the January incident has not served as a cautionary warning to revellers who continue to troop to the spot to pass time.

The management of Titanic Beach Resort (Kariani), an entertainment facility in the area, confirmed to Wananchi Reporting that indeed there have been some cases recently.

"I am not sure about the actual numbers, but I can confirm that there have been cases of drowning ever since the January incident,” said a manager at the facility.

“As a management neighbouring the spot, we are concerned, and that is why we have guards manning certain areas of the dam to ensure our customers are safe," added the manager.

The dam is famous with revellers during weekends.