Kirinyaga University student’s missing body recovered from Thiba River

The body of a Kirinyaga University student who drowned in the Thiba River on October 18 was recovered ending days of its search, police confirmed.

The body of Gedion Ekai was discovered floating in the river at Ngomongo area on October 21, by local farmers.

The body was found approximately four kilometers downstream from the waterfalls where the student is believed to have drowned.

Ekai was positively identified by fellow students and his aunt, who travelled from Lodwar. She was heartbroken, witnesses said.

The body reportedly had injuries on the face and was retrieved from the river by local divers.

The body was subsequently transferred to Kerugoya Level Five Hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death and shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Police are expected to rely on the postmortem findings as investigations into the drowning incident continue.

And a 19-year-old man died after drowning while swimming at Ruiru Falls along Ruiru River in Kiambu County.

The deceased, identified as Elvis Ochieng, was reportedly swimming at the falls when the incident occurred on October 20, 2026.

However, the young man was pronounced dead on arrival at a local health facility.

Police officers from Ruiru Police Station, accompanied by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), visited the hospital and found the body without visible external injuries.

The scene was processed as part of the follow-up investigations before the body was moved to Kenyatta University (KU) mortuary for preservation pending a postmortem examination.

Preliminary information indicates that Ochieng’s body was discovered by other swimmers who had visited the falls.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be fully established.

Elsewhere, police in Elgeyo Marakwet County are investigating the death of a 52-year-old man whose body was found floating in an abandoned pit latrine in Kabai area, Marakwet East Sub-County.

The deceased, identified as Joseph Kibet Yego, was discovered on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, after a local resident reportedly heard a faint cry for help and went to investigate.

According to a police incident report from Kapyego Police Station, officers who visited the scene found the man’s body floating in water inside the abandoned pit latrine.

Members of the public assisted police in retrieving the body, upon which officers observed a visible injury to the head.

The body was subsequently moved to Kapsowar Mission Hospital mortuary, where it is being held pending a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death.