Form 2 student slips, drowns while taking selfies at River Nyamindi

A sombre mood engulfed Gichugu, Kirinyaga County after Form 2 student drowned at River Nyamindi on Wednesday.

15-year-old Lucia Mwende is said to have been taking selfies with her friends when she slipped and fell into the river.

According to her mother, Lurencia Wambugi, the girl had left home with three of friends earlier in the day.

The friends later alerted her that her daughter had fallen into the river.

Friends and relatives gathered at the river bank to help in the search for the body.

However, Mbogo Ndwiga–a neighbour from the girl’s home in Gatumbi village–said the river is dangerous and this poses a challenge for the search team.

“We know the history of this river…the body might be discovered after seven days,” he said.

There was a similar incident in January 2018 when two students from the University of Embu slipped and drowned in the same river.

As they were taking photos, one of them fell into the river. One student who attempted to pull out the colleague also slipped and drowned.

“The five male and two female students had come to tour the area, Daraja ya Mungu, where there is a gorge. It is a very deep part of the river and water flows with a lot of pressure,” police said.