A 19-year-old Form Four student from Nyalenda Mixed High School in Rachuonyo South Sub-County drowned in Lake Victoria yesterday while on a school trip in Mbita.
According to a report filed at Mbita Police Station, students from the school had travelled to Mbita to participate in the Homa Bay County Music Festival hosted at Mbita Boys High School.
Police said that after completing their performances, a group of students, accompanied by teachers, visited the lakeside for sightseeing.
Several male students later proceeded to a public bathing area where they entered the lake for a swim.
During the activity, one of the students, identified as Levis Ouma, was reportedly overwhelmed by strong waves and drowned.
The incident was reported to police by Peter Ochieng Ouma, a teacher at Nyalenda Mixed High School.
Officers from the Kenya Coast Guard, assisted by members of the public, later retrieved the student’s body from the lake.
Police officers who examined it reported that there were no visible physical injuries. The body was transferred to Mbita Sub-County Hospital Mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a post-mortem examination.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.
by Sitna Omar
