The body of a student at Kirinyaga University, who drowned in the flooding of the Thiba River, was found on Friday floating on water at Ngumbatha village in Mwea sub-county.

 Lawi Kiptoo’s body was found after a two-day search.

The discovery of Kiptoo’s body was reported at Kutus police station, prompting immediate action from both authorities and locals in the search effort.

The Third Year Building Engineering student was swimming in the river when its banks burst due to heavy rains, sweeping him downstream.

According to his colleagues, Kiptoo jumped into the river on Wednesday and began swimming, but he was overcome by strong water currents and drowned. Despite efforts by residents to rescue him, they were unsuccessful.

Confirming the incident, Ngumbatha village elder Johnson Wachira revealed that Kiptoo's body was discovered more than 10 kilometers away from where he drowned.

The deceased student's family arrived on Friday, led by his father, Samuel Murkomen, expressing their shock at the news of their son's passing.

"We have come all the way from Kaimugor village in Trans Nzoia County after receiving information from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations that our son was no longer alive. We travelled to Kirinyaga and were able to identify the body," said Mr Samuel Murkomen.