A family in Mvita, Mombasa County, is demanding justice after their three-year-old son drowned in a swimming pool at Mvita Comprehensive School on Friday evening.
The family says the tragic incident occurred about an hour after they arrived at the facility, blaming the child’s death on what they describe as inadequate safety measures, including the absence of a professional lifeguard.
According to the family, they visited the swimming pool at around 4 p.m. to relax following the end of the school term. About an hour later, the three-year-old, Abdinasir Abahaji, drowned.
Relatives allege the swimming pool lacked essential safety features such as warning signs, depth indicators and designated areas for children.
“The place ukiangalia there is no demarcation, ukiangalia no signs, pale ni deep sana, mahali ya kuonyesha mahali watoto wanaingilia. Ukiangalia the place ni mahali ambako iko danger,” said family spokesperson Abdulrahman Yusuf.
The family is now calling for accountability and a transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to the child’s death.
Detectives have launched investigations to establish exactly what happened and whether there was any negligence at the facility.
Mombasa County Executive Committee Member for Education Dr. Mbwarali Kame said the incident is part of a worrying rise in drowning cases involving children during school holidays, underscoring the need for stricter safety measures at recreational facilities.
