The body of a 29-year-old woman, who drowned after reportedly jumping into River Nyamidi in Kirinyaga with her baby strapped on her back, was recovered on Monday.
Residents of Kabiroini village in Gichugu, Kirinyaga, reported that the body of Morren Wangui was found about 10 kilometers downstream.
Police stated that the body was discovered by residents who were harvesting grass on the riverbanks.
The woman’s uncle, Stephen Kinyua, told journalists that they later identified the body.
Witnesses and police noted that the body had been swept by the raging waters and had multiple injuries.
The family and residents had been camping at the river, continuing with the search.
During the search, the team discovered the body of an unidentified man, suspected to be a drowning victim, police said.
Gichugu Sub-county Police Commander Johnson Wachira confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased had been seen by a coffee factory watchman jumping into the river with her child in a suspected suicide attempt.
However, the motive behind the incident is yet to be determined, he added.
The bodies of the woman and her five-year-old child were taken to Kibugi Funeral Home in Kutus.
The child’s body had been recovered earlier in the area.
The third body, that of the unknown man, was taken to Kerugoya Mortuary awaiting identification and autopsy.
The incident has shocked Kabiro-ini villagers.
Wangui’s grandmother, Fridah Njoki, told journalists that Wangui and her daughter had come to visit her, as her parents, who are civil servants, work in Embu County.
Cases of suicide are on the rise in the country amid calls to address the trend, which is linked to societal trauma.
Police report recording at least two cases of suicide daily.
