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| People watching a flooded river (Photo for illustration) |
A family in Katonde sub-location, Koyugi Location is in mourning following the tragic drowning of their 13-year-old son. . The incident happened in Kisumu. The incident occurred on Friday, December 13, when Griffin Omondi Ochieng’, a Grade Seven pupil at Obujo Primary School, drowned while swimming in River Oluch. What happened before Griffin Omondi’s tragic drowning?
Griffin had been at home earlier that morning, but around midday, his friends invited him to join them at the river. In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, his father. Jared Ochieng’ Dondi, the boy had never been to the river before, and the family never anticipated such a tragedy. “He was left at home in the morning, and later his friends came asking him to accompany them to the river.
This was his first time there. We never expected such a tragedy to happen,” said Ochieng’. Once at the river, Omondi and his friends began swimming, but he was quickly overwhelmed by the strong currents. Witnesses reported that the boy drowned while his friends could only watch helplessly.
The children then took his clothes and returned home to inform the family of the tragedy. Since Friday, December 13, the family has been camping along the riverbank, hoping to recover Omondi’s body. Ochieng’ expressed the family’s desperation, calling for help from the government and local divers. “We are helpless. We have camped here since Friday, hoping to see his body. We plead with the government and divers to help us,” he said.
“Griffin was so full of life. It’s devastating that he’s gone like this, and we cannot even bring him home for burial,” a family member shared the painful loss Residents have acknowledged the difficulty of retrieving a body from River Oluch due to its strong currents and dangerous terrain.
“The river’s currents are very strong, and retrieving a body is challenging without proper diving equipment,” a resident noted. The family continues to appeal for urgent assistance from local authorities, professional divers, and government agencies to help bring closure to this painful ordeal.
by Nancy Odindo
