NAIROBI, Kenya — A 37-year-old man drowned on Saturday after falling into an open sewage trench near Equity Bank along Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi, police have confirmed, in an incident that has renewed concerns over the safety of uncovered manholes in the city centre.
The victim, identified as Isaac Kiplagat, was reportedly walking near an open manhole when he slipped into the trench. The incident was reported to Nairobi Railways Police Station, and officers who visited the scene established that he had drowned after the fall.
His body was moved to Nairobi Funeral Home, where it is being preserved pending an autopsy. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to the state of manhole covers across Nairobi, many of which officials say have been vandalised or stolen, leaving open trenches that pose a danger to pedestrians and other road users.
Officials say efforts are under way both to replace missing covers and to trace those responsible for the vandalism, though such incidents have continued to recur in various parts of the city.
In a separate case, police in Bungoma North have launched investigations after the body of an unidentified man was found floating in River Nzoia. The body was spotted on 11 September at around 7:30 pm in Siumbua Village, Kabuyefwe Sub-location.
Officers from Mbakalo Police Station attended the scene and, with the assistance of members of the public, retrieved the body from the river. It has since been moved to Naitiri Sub-County Mortuary for preservation, pending identification and an autopsy.
Police have appealed to the public for information that could help establish the man’s identity.
Police in Nyatike, Migori County, are similarly investigating after the body of an unidentified middle-aged man was discovered floating in River Kuja, in the Kituka area.
Officers who responded to the scene confirmed the body was that of an adult male, before it was retrieved and the scene documented as part of the investigation.
The remains were taken to Migori County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where they are being preserved pending an autopsy. As with the Bungoma case, efforts to establish the man’s identity are ongoing.
In Suba North, Homa Bay County, police have opened investigations into the death of an unidentified man whose body was found in a rented house in Obambo Village on 11 September, in Waundo Sub-location, Gembe East Location.
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According to police, the man had suffered multiple injuries, including a deep wound to the left side of his head and ear, consistent with a sharp object, along with wounds to his legs, bruising to his forehead and chest, and a fractured left ankle.
Preliminary investigations indicate that unknown individuals brought the man into the rented house while he was still alive, and that he later died of his injuries.
The scene has since been processed by police, and the body moved to Suba North Sub-County Hospital Mortuary, where it is being preserved pending autopsy and identification.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the man’s death and have not yet named any suspects.
