The body of 21-year-old Marcus Nyaga, a Kirinyaga University student, has been recovered from the Thiba River near Kutus Town in the Gichugu constituency.
Local divers discovered his body several meters from where he drowned, according to Gichugu sub-county police commander Johnson Wachira.
The second-year Bachelor of Education student was swimming with a friend near Kutus Bridge on Sunday when the tragic incident occurred. Witnesses, including resident Samuel Mugane, reported that the incident happened around 4 p.m. The student's friend raised the alarm, attracting locals and the area's assistant chief to the scene.
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Mugane noted that Marcus had left his clothes intact near the riverbank before entering the water. The shocking scene left Kirinyaga University students and Marcus' relatives in disbelief as they witnessed his lifeless body being retrieved and placed in a police vehicle.
Marcus, originally from Chuka, had his family camping by the river since the night of the incident, anxiously waiting for the recovery of his body. This incident marks the second drowning in the Thiba River within two months; on May 16, 2024, a third-year building engineering student also drowned, with his body being found over ten kilometers away in Ngumbatha village.
Marcus Nyaga's body has been transported to Kibugi Funeral Home, where it will await a postmortem examination. Gichugu police commander Johnson Wachira confirmed this arrangement.
