Tragedy as mother, daughter drown in Likuyani on their way from church

Husband to the late Lydia Mzee who drowned together with he tgrer year ikd daughter in Likuyani on Saturday /IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO 

A family in Likuyani sub-county is mourning the loss of a mother and her three-year-old daughter who drowned in swollen River Fafarol on Saturday evening, while another in Lugari sub-county is coming to terms with the sudden death of their teenage daughter who was struck by lightning.

In the Likuyani incident, 32-year-old Lydia Muzee was returning home from church with her two daughters when tragedy struck at the Fafarol crossing in Kongoni ward. Muzee had strapped her three-year-old on her back as they attempted to cross the river, which had burst its banks and submerged a makeshift bridge.

Her elder daughter, 15-year-old Ann Nasimiyu, survived the ordeal after clinging to reeds until passers-by pulled her to safety.

“When we reached Fafarol Bridge at around 7pm, my phone rang, and Mum told me to give it to her so she could put it in her bag before we crossed the river,” Ann recalled.

“As we started crossing, I felt the water lifting me and told her. She said let’s just try.” When we reached the middle of the bridge, we started sliding down. My mother held both my hands tightly, but I struggled back onto the bridge and grabbed a stick. That’s where passers-by found me.”

According to rescuers, the raging current made retrieval of the bodies extremely difficult.

“We first retrieved the three-year-old child, but she was already dead. We searched for more than five hours before finally finding Lydia’s body downstream,” said Eugene Luengele, who led the mission.

The double tragedy has reignited anger among residents, who say the Fafarol crossing has claimed too many lives. They noted that Saturday’s deaths were the fifth in less than a year and called on leaders to construct a safe, permanent bridge.

“This river has killed so many of our people. How many more lives must we lose before action is taken?” one resident lamented.

As Likuyani residents grappled with the drowning, another tragedy struck in Lugari sub-county, where a 13-year-old schoolgirl was killed by lightning.

The girl, identified as Christine Wakhungu, a Grade Eight pupil at Mukhalanya Junior Secondary School, had just returned from school when she was struck at her home in Mukhalanya village during a heavy downpour.

The twin tragedies have left Kakamega County residents shaken, with calls for urgent measures to improve safety during the rainy season.