Two men were on Wednesday buried alive at a sand mine in Athi River, Machakos County.
Benjamin Itumo Titu, 33, and Joseph Kamau Mutevu, 34, met their deaths after they were buried by loose soil while excavating sand inside a cave of about 15 feet deep at Ivalini village within Muthwani location, Athi River subcounty, on Wednesday.
A local provincial administrator reported the matter to the Kyumbi police station as a death incident report at 2.50 pm on Wednesday.
He, according to a police officer privy to the incident, reported that the duo was buried by loose soil while excavating sand inside the cave.
The officer said members of the public tried to rescue them in vain. Their lifeless bodies were found inside the said cave and retrieved.
Officers from the Kyumbi police station, led by OCS, Scenes of Crime Investigators, and Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives, visited the scene. They processed, photographed, and documented it.
The bodies were removed to Machakos Level 5 hospital mortuary, awaiting autopsy.
DCI detectives attached to the Kyumbi police station have launched investigations into the incident.
Elsewhere, a man died by suicide in another incident reported to the same Kyumbi police station on Wednesday.
Gideon Kiprotich, 22, is said to have ended his own life by hanging using a bedsheet inside his rented house. No suicide note was recovered from the scene.
The matter was reported as a suicide incident report on the same day the body was discovered.
Police said it was reported by members of the public to foot patrol officers at around 7.30pm on Wednesday that there was an odour from a rental house belonging to one Gideon Kiprotich.
The officers contacted the duty officer, who, together with Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives attached to Kyumbi police station, visited the scene.
The officers found the deceased’s body hanging using a bed sheet inside his rented house with no suicide note.
The scene was processed, and the body was moved to Machakos Level 5 hospital mortuary for preservation, awaiting an autopsy.
The DCI detectives attached to the Kyumbi police station have launched investigations into the incident.
The deaths happened a day after a man was arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Lukenya, Kinanie division, on Tuesday.
Boniface Isaac Manthi, 33, was nabbed after the body of Phelomena Ndunge Stephen, 38, was found lying lifeless inside her house within Kwa–Mwalimu village in Lukenya.
A local administrator reported the matter to the Kyumbi police station as a murder incident report.
Officers from Kyumbi police station, accompanied by DCI and CSI personnel, visited the scene and found the body lying on the floor with foam oozing from the mouth.
Police said the suspect was subjected to public arrest and later surrendered to the officers.
The officers processed the scene and removed the body to the Machakos Level 5 hospital mortuary pending an autopsy.
The suspect was detained at the same police station.
DCI, Kyumbi, has launched investigations into the incident.
by GEORGE OWITI
