Pit latrine caves in, buries man alive in Kisii

An excavator clearing away soil to retrieve a 33-year-old man who was buried alive in a pit latrine he was digging at Kegogi Market in Kitutu Chache North Constituency, Kisii, on January 13, 2018. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Three men were digging a pit latrine when the walls caved in at 10.30am and buried one of them alive.
  • Residents and the disaster management team were working to rescue him.

Residents and the disaster management team on Saturday worked to rescue a 33-year-old man who was buried alive in a pit latrine he was digging at Kegogi Market in Kitutu Chache North Constituency, Kisii County.
Mr Joseph Nyakundi was among two others who were hired to dig the pit latrine at a home. The walls caved in, burying him alive.
DISASTER
The County Disaster Management Director Julius Tinega said they received the report at around midday after his colleagues raised the alarm.
“When we got here we established that Mr Nyakundi had been in the collapsed toilet from 10.30 in the morning and residents were already making efforts to rescue him,” he said.

Excavators try to retrieve a 33-year-old man who was buried alive in a pit latrine he was digging at Kegogi Market in Kitutu Chache North Constituency, Kisii, on January 13, 2018. PHOTO | COURTESY


Mr Tinega said two excavators were in the process of retrieving Mr Nyakundi from the 50-foot hole.
The director warned residents against digging deep latrines without taking precautionary measures, especially where the soil is loose.
“This is a case of ignorance on the part of the owner and the workers because the soil here was [too] loose to accommodate the depth of the pit latrine they were digging,” he said.

More follows.