Two girls drown in Kithino River, Tharaka-Nithi County

Kathita River near Marimanti town

Kathita River where three pupils drowned as they searched for a spot to wash their uniforms. Two girls drowned in Kithino River in, Tharaka Nithi County on October 9, 2022

Photo credit: Alex Njeru | Nation Media Group

Two girls on Sunday drowned in Kithino River in, Tharaka Nithi County.

Mr Mutegi Kimathi, a village elder told Nation.Africa that the two 13-year-old girls drowned in the river as they swam with their friends after attending a Sunday church service.

One of the girls was a Class Seven pupil at Kinamuthi Primary School while the other was a Grade Six pupil at Kithino Learning Centre.

“The two girls drowned at the deep Ndia Mathendu section of Kithino River,” said Mr Kimathi adding that the section of the river has huge rocks.

The death of the girls was reported by the other children who had been swimming with them in the river. 

The bodies have been retrieved by the locals and moved to Marimanti Level Four Hospital mortuary.  

Kithino Learning Centre Director Simon Ndonco confirmed that one of his pupils had drowned in the river.

The accident comes barely a month after three other primary school children drowned in Kathita River while fetching water to wash their school uniforms.

The three children aged 13, 12 and 10 from Gakuyu Primary School in Kirukuma Sub-Location had travelled for several kilometres to Gituma Sub-Location to look for water to wash their school uniforms in preparation for school reopening.