A 30–year–old man has died after he was electrocuted in Athi River, Machakos county.
Antony Njuguna died at the scene. The incident happened in Jua Kali village within Athi River Township on Wednesday.
Athi River South subcounty police commander Philis Muthoni said the matter was reported to Athi River police station as an electrocution incident report at 5.29 pm on the same day.
Muthoni said a member of the public reported to the police that the employee of a private company within the Jua Kali village died after he accidentally touched a sagging electric cable.
She said the deceased was in the company of a driver working for the same company when the incident occurred.
“The member of the public reported to the police that yesterday at around 3.00 pm, a driver of a lorry belonging to the said private company was offloading sawdust outside the firm’s premises together with a conductor namely Antony Njuguna aged about 30 years (deceased),” Muthoni said.
Muthoni spoke to the Star by phone on Thursday.
“The man accidentally touched a sagging live wire using a metallic spade and was electrocuted,” Muthoni said.
She said her officers together with their counterparts from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, all attached to the Athi River police station, alongside Kenya Power and Lighting Company personnel rushed to the scene.
The police boss said the scene was processed by crime scene investigators and the body was removed to Shalom Community Hospital mortuary, Athi River branch, awaiting an autopsy.
She said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives attached to Athi River police station had launched a probe into the incident.
Muthoni urged residents to be more careful while operating near electric cables to avoid such unnecessary deaths.
