A family in Siaya County is seeking help to retrieve the body of a relative who drowned in the River Nzoia 17 days ago.
Relatives have gathered at Thomas Konyango’s home in Sigweng Karuoth village, Siaya County, to console his family as they await the retrieval of his wife’s body.
Irene Apondi’s family believes she perished on the banks of the River Nzoia two weeks ago. According to her family, she had gone to her farm near the river.
They discovered her clothes by the riverside, leading them to conclude that she tried to bathe in the fast-flowing, flooded river, which overwhelmed her.
This incident happened during the heavy rain season, which caused many water bodies to flood and rivers to overflow their banks.
For the past seventeen days, the family has conducted extensive searches along the river, but they have not found her body.
“Watoto washa jaribu, tumejaribu, lakini tumeshindwa,” said her sister Helida Juma.
Her daughter, Miriam Otieno, added: “The search has been ongoing, but we haven’t done anything yesterday or today due to a lack of funds.”
Indeed, the search has been costly; every day, the family must hire a boat and pay divers Ksh.11,000.
Police have stated they will assist with the search once the water levels have subsided.
For now, the financially depleted family can only hope that the water levels drop enough to allow them to continue searching for their loved one and give her a proper sendoff.
