Police in Homa Bay County are investigating the death of a one-year-old boy who drowned in a water storage container after he was left alone at home.
The child was pronounced dead on arrival at the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital after his mother rushed him there in an attempt to save his life.
According to police, the child’s mother reportedly left him locked inside their house in the Makongeni area at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday before going to Lake Victoria to wash clothes.
She told investigators that when she returned at around 2 p.m., she could not find the child inside the house and immediately began searching for him.
She later found the boy floating inside a 50-litre plastic water storage container kept in the house. She retrieved him and, with the help of members of the public, rushed him to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Police officers, accompanied by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Scene of Crime personnel, visited and documented the scene. Investigators recovered the child’s clothing from inside the water container as part of the investigation.
The body was later moved to the hospital mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Police have launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy while urging parents and guardians to ensure young children are not left unattended, particularly in homes where water is stored in open or easily accessible containers.
And police in Embu County are investigating the death of a man whose decomposing body was found inside his house in Iganjagi Village, Embu West Sub-county.
The deceased was identified as John Kennedy Muturi, believed to be about 50 years old.
According to police, the incident was reported on Tuesday night after the man was found lying motionless on his bed inside his house.
Police visited the scene and established that the body had already begun decomposing and was infested with insects, indicating that the man had died several days earlier.
Preliminary investigations further established that the deceased lived alone and had no known family members.
The scene was documented before the body was removed to Embu General Mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.
Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death are ongoing.
