Stephen Njoroge Wambui, the man spotted carrying a child’s body in the Mai Mahiu tragedy, has spoken out about the heartbreaking incident in an interview with Mururi TV.
Wambui recounted the chaotic scene of the flash floods that ensued after the River burst its banks, detailing his courageous efforts to rescue those trapped in the mud.
“I found the child there and the water was flowing. I decided to save him from that mud,” Wambui revealed.
He noted that the child was not related to him, saying, “I don’t know whose child that was.”
As a turn boy working in construction, Wambui was on his way to the quarry when he heard screams of people being swept away by floodwaters around 2 am.
In addition to the child, he managed to rescue several others stuck in the mud, including two more children, a mother, and a man who were stranded on a tree.
After saving the child, Wambui retrieved a total of nine bodies from the disaster site.
Local police commander Stephen Kirui confirmed that among the over 50 recovered bodies, 17 were children.
Initially believed to be caused by a burst dam, the Kenyan Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation later clarified that the incident was due to a blocked tunnel.
This blocked tunnel, responsible for channeling the River Tongi under a railway line, resulted in a sudden surge of floodwater that swept over the railway line and affected nearby villages such as Kamuchiri and Kianugu.
President Ruto visited the affected area where he prayed for the victims.
Elsewhere, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua toured the area, where the damage caused the DP to become emotional in a video captured while he was in a chopper.
By Vivian K.