A 25-year-old man drowned in Mwea Constituency, Kirinyaga County, on Sunday while attempting to swim across a National Irrigation Authority dam to win a bet against a friend. The tragic incident occurred around 6:30 p.m., leaving residents of Maisha Kamili in Ngurubani Town and Kamucege Village in shock.
Kelvin Gitonga, a well-known swimmer, had reportedly bet a friend that he could swim from one end of the dam to the other.
Witnesses reported that Gitonga, a boda boda operator in Ngurubani, was close to reaching the shore when he drowned. His friend, who had placed the Ksh.300 bet, disappeared shortly after the incident.
Local resident Philip Njogu expressed disbelief, saying, “We rushed to the dam as soon as we heard, but it’s hard to believe Kelvin drowned. He was an experienced swimmer.”
Another local, Kinyua Warui, recounted that Gitonga was confident he could complete the swim and was nearly at the shore when he encountered trouble. Warui noted that this was not the first time Gitonga and his friends had made such bets.
Residents from Kamucege and Ngurubani have called on the National Irrigation Authority to fence the dam, highlighting that this is the second fatality in the area. Rice farmers, led by Tebere Unit leader Alex Nguo, have also urged for increased safety measures.
“The dam was built to support rice farming during the dry season, but we need it fenced to prevent further tragedies,” Nguo said as quoted by Citizen Digital.
Efforts to recover Gitonga’s body continued late into the night with local divers and Wanguru Police Station officers on site.
On Monday morning, the dam’s water was diverted to nearby rice farms to assist in the search. Nguo added, “We are confident the body will be recovered so the family can give him a proper send-off.”
