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Why drowning cases have reduced in Bomet despite heavy rains
31st October, 2025 07:53 PM
Bomet County has reported a dramatic reduction in drowning cases, falling from 43 in 2024 to 16 in 2025, according to a report from the Bomet Disaster Management department.
In a press briefing on Friday, October 31, 2025, Stanley Mutai, the Bomet County Disaster Management Officer, confirmed the impressive statistics, attributing the success to increased public knowledge and responsibility over the year.
“Our main rivers, including Amalo, Nyongores, and Kipsonoi, have historically claimed the lives of residents, especially during the rainy seasons when water levels surge, but this year we have recorded a lower number, and we must appreciate residents for their responsibility,” Mutai explained.
He pointed out that most fatalities occur when residents attempt to cross overflown bridges, with a number of them when drunk, and therefore endangering their lives.
“Despite heavy rains making our rivers overflow, people continue to cross, and in doing so, they unnecessarily endanger their lives,” Mutai stressed.
Mutai said to sustain the progress, all residents should exercise extreme caution and avoid crossing swollen rivers during the current rainy season.
“The rains expected from October to December will see our dams and rivers collecting a lot of water, and therefore, we must be cautious in order to avoid drowning cases,” Mutai said.
Mutai also revealed that a total of four cases have been recorded at a dam near Meregi Technical Training Institute in Bomet East, only stating that the police are already carrying out their investigations in order to find out the issue at that institution.
He said that students might be suffering from stress issues and, therefore, he called on the students and the general public to open up about some of the issues affecting them.
“We have recorded four cases so far at a dam around Meregi TTI, and the police are investigating the issues, ” Mutai said.
He added, “Some of the students might be stressed, and I urge them to open up to avoid such cases that can make them commit suicide.”
WHO on drowning cases
This comes amid the World Health Organization (WHO) calling on countries to put efforts into preventing drowning, one of the leading causes of death globally for children and young people ages 1–24.
According to the latest WHO data, drowning deaths in Kenya reached 1,200 or 0.46 per cent of total deaths, placing Kenya number 103 in drowning deaths in the world.
Globally, drowning claims more than 236,000 lives each year.
The WHO said more than 90 per cent of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with children under the age of five being at the highest risk.
These deaths are frequently linked to daily, routine activities, such as bathing, collecting water for domestic use, travelling over water on boats or ferries, and fishing.
The impacts of seasonal or extreme weather events are also a frequent cause of drowning, and these impacts are largely preventable through several interventions.
“Every year, around the world, hundreds of thousands of people drown. Most of these deaths are preventable through evidence-based, low-cost solutions,” WHO said.
“Today, cities around the world are lighting up their monuments in blue light as a call to action for each of us to do our part to prevent drowning. Let’s put a stop to drowning.”
WHO recommends six evidence-based measures to prevent drowning, including installing barriers, controlling access to water, training bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation, teaching school-aged children basic swimming and water safety skills, providing supervised daycare for children, setting and enforcing safe boating, shipping, and ferry regulations, and improving flood risk management.
