Search on for body of university student who drowned in River Nzoia
Amos Mango, a first-year student at Kibabii University, who drowned in River Nzoia. His body is yet to be retrieved.
A family in Kakamega County is having sleepless nights after a 19-year-old boy drowned in the swollen River Nzoia.
The search for the body of Amos Mango, a first-year student at Kibabii University, entered its second day on Wednesday.
The student, from Bulayi village, was on a long holiday at home when the incident occurred.
He had reportedly gone for a walk by the riverside with his cousin when he fell into the river and drowned.
The family hired eight divers to search for and retrieve the body.
Mr Samuel Lumiti, one of the divers, said the body might have been swept kilometres away.
Relative and locals at the banks of River Nzoia where university student Amos Mango drowned. Local divers are still looking for his body.
Appeal to government
The family now wants the national government and the county to dispatch a team of divers to help them find the body.
The boy’s father Andrew Mango Khanala said the incident has brought sorrow and agony to the family.
"One of my in-laws called to inform me about the death of my son, whom I loved very much," he said.
Mr Khanala said his son, who scored a B-plain at Mbale High School in his KCSE exam, wanted to become a lawyer.
His mother Freatin Khanala pleaded with Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya to come to their aid.
The mother of five said all she hoped for was to see the body of her son recovered.
"We cannot lead normal lives if the body of my son is not retrieved," she said.
Traditional ritual
Jacob Waswa, a village elder, said that if the body is retrieved, it would be buried at night after a traditional ritual is performed.
A sheep will have to be slaughtered and those who retrieve the body will be given a cow and some cash.
"We shall have elders performing some cleansing rituals to ensure that calamity does not befall the family again,” he said.
Kibabii Vice-Chancellor Prof Ideo Opara sent condolences to the family and promised to stand with them.
River Nzoia has claimed several human and animal lives since the start of the long rains.
