The body of a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology student who reportedly drowned in Kilombo river in Makueni county has been retrieved.
It was retrieved on Wednesday after a three-day search in the river located within Mukaa subcounty.
The male student reportedly drowned on Monday while on an expedition of the region in the company of his friends on.
It's said the students were on a private trip from Mombasa and had passed by the area to pick something when they decided to swim leading to the tragedy.
“The body of the boy was successfully received at 11.53am today before it was handed over to the police,” a police source told the Star by phone.
The source said the search was conducted by rescue teams from the Kenya Red Cross with support from the local administration, Makueni county government and community members.
Police removed the body to Sultan Hammud mortuary within the county awaiting an autopsy. Search mounted on Monday and Tuesday was unsuccessful.
“An intensive search efforts have been made in collaboration with KRCS and local swimmers and divers. They were, however, futile and the final search will be done tomorrow,” a police report dated October 22 indicated.
Those involved in the operations said they faced several challenges including caves and intertwined roots of aquatic plantae.
“The supportive local administration, county administration and community alongside energetic aqua rescue team and water rescue equipment were some of the strengths that helped in successful retrieval of the body,” the police source said.
Police have launched investigations into the incident.
The incident comes same day DCI detectives arrested two soldiers based in Embakasi in relation to the murder of a female student at the University of Nairobi.
Mercy Rufansi, 26, was reported missing from her parents’ home in Pipeline, Embakasi, on September 28, 2024, hours after she left home in a huff.
Detectives said her half-naked body was found dumped in a thicket in Mwiki area along the Eastern bypass at around 4pm on September 28.