A 48-year-old farmer-cum-businessman in Kitui's Mwingi East subcounty drowned on Friday after he fell into a pond in his farm in Nuu village.
Kasele Nthenge is said to have slipped and fell into the farm pond that had filled with water to the brim following heavy rains that pounded the area and other parts of Kitui county in the last 24-hours.
Nuu Assistant County Commissioner confirmed the drowning incident.
He added that it took place at around 4pm as the deceased was attempting to block the pond’s spillway and create a new one.
“Tragedy struck as the man, who is a water melon farmer, was blocking the existing water outlet on the pond,” the administrator who spoke to the Star on phone said.
According to his family, the deceased wanted to create a new water outlet at a higher level so that his pond could capture more water during the ongoing torrential rains.
“He was in love with farming and produced tonnes of water melons. He wanted to alter the spillway so that he could get more water to use for irrigation once the rains subside,” the ACC said.
He added that as the man was working on the old water outlet, he stepped on the polythene lining of the pond and slipped, falling into the water,” the assistant county boss said.
He said when the man's young son realised that his father had fallen into the water, he raised the alarm and the members of the public rushed to the scene only to find that the farmer had already drowned.
“When I got the information, I rushed to the scene alongside the OCS and oversaw the recovery of the body. It was then taken to the Nuu level IV hospital morgue for preservation,” added the ACC.
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