Two people drowned in two separate incidents in Kilifi and Nyandarua Counties.
The incidents were reported on January 8, 2026, police said. In the first incident, one Wright Mbaru Sifa, 23, drowned in the Indian Ocean at the Vidazini beach as he and his friends ventured there for swimming sessions.
The deceased was with his cousins when the incident happened, police said.
He had ventured to the deep sea when he suddenly drowned. A rescue team from the local county arrived at the scene hours later and retrieved the body from the rough water. The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy and other procedures.
Elsewhere in Kinangop, Nyandarua County, one John Kimani Kangethe, 48 was found drowned in Karoroha River.
The police said the deceased was crossing the river on a wooden footbridge when he slipped and drowned in the water. His body was found with a head injury, police said.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy. Locals later demanded that the footbridge be constructed for their own safety. They argued many face dangers while using the footbridge and it becomes almost impossible to use it at night.
And 22 passengers were rescued after their boat capsized at the Faza Island in Lamu County.
Police said the group was headed for Ndua Island from Kizingitini through Faza when the incident happened on Thursday January 8.
Their boat was hit by tides and capsized moments after leaving the Faza Jetty. A rescue team managed to recover all the 22 but their belongings were swept by the raging water, witnesses and police said.
Such incidents are common in the area amid calls for caution when the tides are heavy. Many traders move between the islands at the Indian Ocean on a daily basis which expose them to such dangers of drowning.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
