Derrick Omollo: What we know so far about TikToker’s tragic death at Juja quarry
By Ascah Mwango, September 2, 2026The death of Kenyan TikToker and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) student Derrick Omollo has left his friends, fellow students and followers mourning a young content creator whose life ended suddenly in Juja, Kiambu County.
Omollo, 21, was a third-year student at JKUAT and had built a growing audience through his social media content. On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, he went out with fellow students to shoot content. Hours later, he was found dead after falling into an abandoned quarry while escaping from four men who had confronted the group.
The incident has since raised questions about security around Juja, particularly in isolated areas used by students and young people.
Here is what is known about the tragic incident so far.
Omollo had gone out to shoot content
Omollo was with three other JKUAT students when the incident happened.
According to police, the group had walked from Juja township to an abandoned quarry located in a thicket within Kigwe Farm. They arrived at around 4.30 pm with the intention of shooting content using their mobile phones.
For Omollo, content creation had become more than a pastime. He had established himself as a TikTok creator and was known for humorous videos that attracted a growing following.
The outing appeared to be a normal content-creation session until around 6 pm, when the group encountered four men.
Four men confronted the students
Police said the four men were armed with knives and ordered the students to surrender their phones.
The confrontation caused the students to run in different directions as they tried to escape.
Three members of the group managed to get away. One of the survivors, a 19-year-old female student, lost her Samsung A16 phone during the incident, while a 22-year-old male student suffered a sprain to his arm as he escaped.
Omollo, however, ran towards the quarry.
The location was particularly dangerous because of the open sections of the abandoned quarry, creating a serious risk for anyone running through the area without being able to see the ground clearly.
Omollo fell into a 40-metre quarry
While trying to escape, Omollo fell into an open section of the quarry.
The quarry was estimated to be about 40 metres deep. Police said Omollo hit his head on a rock and suffered fatal injuries. He also sustained fractures to both legs.
His friends survived the incident, but Omollo could not.
The accident transformed what had started as an ordinary afternoon of making social media content into a devastating tragedy.
His body was later retrieved from the quarry and taken to General Kago Mortuary in Thika, where a postmortem examination was expected to establish further details surrounding his death.
His final social media moments have drawn attention
One of the painful details surrounding Omollo’s death is that he had remained active on social media shortly before the incident.
A comedic video shared on his social media account hours before his death has since attracted attention from followers who returned to his page after learning what had happened.
The video showed the humorous personality that had helped him build his online audience. For people who knew and followed him, watching the post after his death has added another emotional layer to the tragedy.
Omollo had more than 106,000 followers on social media and had accumulated millions of likes through his TikTok content.
His popularity was particularly noticeable among young Kenyans and university students, who connected with his humour and relatable approach to everyday life.
Friends and fellow creators are mourning him
Tributes have continued to emerge from friends, fellow students and other content creators following news of his death.
Close friend and fellow TikToker Lenzah Ademba mourned Omollo and encouraged people to spend time with friends while they have the opportunity.
Fellow creator Kabugi has also called for action over security concerns in Juja following Omollo’s death.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the risks faced by students who move through isolated areas around university towns, especially places with abandoned quarries and other open spaces.
Police investigations into the incident are continuing, with efforts expected to establish the identities and whereabouts of the four men involved in the confrontation.