Three school-going girls on Sunday, October 16, 2022, evening drowned in Kanthanje village, Nkondi in Tharaka Nithi County after a swimming expedition turned tragic in Kathita river.
According to witnesses, the three girls left home for the river in the company of their mothers, but their parents stopped mid-way to converse with other women and never caught up with the children.
The mothers on reaching the river were met with sandals and shoes belonging to the trio abandoned by the river sides, prompting them to raise alarm after they failed to get sight of the girls.
One of the local divers in the rescue operation explained that the specific part of the river where the three bodies were rescued from was deep, and required experienced swimmers and divers with good knowledge of the river to avoid drowning.
“The water at the point of rescue is extremely deep. From my experience, the water is very cold and calm, unlike the upper section where water is warm, something I haven’t experienced before,” the diver said.
Confirming the incident, Nkondi Location Chief David Kithaka asked parents to be keen and exercise extra care, especially with their children’s whereabouts, saying kids should not be allowed to access the river unsupervised.
The bodies of the two grade 6 girls and one grade 3 girl have been moved to Marimanti Level 4 Hospital morgue.
The incident happens barely a week after two girls aged 12 and 13 drowned in River Kithino in Tharaka South Sub-County during a swimming expedition after a church service last Sunday, October 9, 2022.
On 23 September 2022, three boys aged between 10-13 drowned in the same river, at Gantarajia in Gituma Sub-location in Marimanti Ward after they had made the long walk to River Kathita to wash their uniform ahead of school resumption amid drought situations experienced in the area.
