Drowning incident exposes Nyeri's poor preparedness for disasters

When two young men drowned in a dam in Mathira, Nyeri County last week, the sad incident exposed the county and national government’s unpreparedness in addressing water-related disasters.

It took a group of ill-equipped volunteer divers two days to retrieve the bodies. After the incident two members of Nyeri County Assembly promised to lobby for the strengthening of emergency response unit.

“The county requires a truly emergency response system. I was not impressed by the response and I will lobby in the assembly to increase the number of staff in emergency units in all sub counties,” said Mr Erastus Karanja, one of the two ward reps who were the drowning scene on Saturday. The other was Mr Muriithi Ndagita.

Emergency responders’ most important task is saving lives in search and rescue missions or in case of deaths to find them in the shortest time possible.

But when Charles Wamae and his colleague Paul Theuri drowned while on a swimming expedition at Hohwe Dam, the county’s response was comical.

The county dispatched two fire engines to the scene where the responders watched helplessly as ordinary Kenyans dived in the water to find the bodies.

On its part, the national government dispatched a team of heavily armed police officers, who too, stood helplessly as their main task seemed to control a surging crowd.

Nyeri County boasts many rivers and dams, which sometimes have become a “curse” as those who plunge in are never saved.

Local residents told Nation Hohwe Dam has claimed 15 lives since its construction seven years ago, a similar number to those who have died in notorious Chinga Dam in Othaya Sub-County.