Body of varsity student who drowned in River Sagana found

Rescuers search for the body of a student at Sagana falls in Nyeri on November 25, 2019. His body was found on November 28, 2019. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The body was found on the river bank downstream near where River Sagana and River Gura merge in Tetu Sub-County on Thursday.
  • Njenga had gone swimming near the Sagana falls with his friends when he was overwhelmed by the strong rapids attributed to the rising water levels.
  • Swimming in River Sagana or any other rivers mapped out as danger zones in the region has since been banned.

The body of a university student, who drowned at River Sagana in Muruguru, Nyeri has been recovered after a week-long search.

Ezra Njenga, a fourth-year actuarial science student at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, drowned while swimming near the Sagana Falls with his friends.

Nyeri Central Police Commander Paul Kuriah said the body was retrieved downstream in Tetu Sub-County, 10 kilometres from where the student drowned.

“The body was found on the river bank downstream near where River Sagana and River Gura merge on Thursday,” he said.

FAILED RESCUE

Njenga had gone swimming near the Sagana Falls with his friends when he was overwhelmed by the strong rapids attributed to the rising water levels.

Attempts by his friends to rescue him were futile.

Divers and the Nyeri County Disaster Management team were dispatched but could not carry out the search as the water level had risen to the point of submerging the bridge.

The incident prompted the Central Regional Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga to order for the area to be sealed off and the access road and bridge closed until the water levels subsided.

Thrill seekers at the Sagana Falls have since been put on notice over swimming in River Sagana or any other rivers mapped out as danger zones in the region.

The Regional Commissioner said persons found swimming in those areas would be arrested for attempted suicide.