New Year celebrations turned tragic when 16-year-old Stanley Otieno, a Form Two student at Ken Obura Secondary School, drowned in the swimming pool of Sunset Hotel in Kisumu on January 1, 2025.
Kennedy Otieno Ongany, Stanley’s father, had taken him to swim as a New Year celebration, but the celebration turned into sorrow.
Kisumu Central Sub County Police Commander Peter Mulai, while speaking to The Nyanza Review, confirmed the incident and mentioned that Kennedy Otieno reported his son missing around 6:00 pm, shortly before the pool’s closing time.
“It was reported by Kennedy Otieno Ongany that he went with his son, Stanley Otieno, aged 16 years for swimming at Sunset Hotel’s pool and he could not trace his son when the pool closing time reached,” said Peter.
Samuel Wafula, the pool attendant, initiated a search but all in vain. Then Kennedy called a team of police officers from Central Police Station, DCI officers, and Kenya Coast Guards who responded and rushed to the scene. They retrieved Stanley’s body from the pool later that evening.
Kisumu Central Sub County Police Commander Peter added that after retrieving the body, it was taken to Star Hospital Mortuary and investigations are ongoing to determine what exactly happened.
“The scene was processed and the body was moved to Star Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain what exactly happened,” he added.
The tragic incident has cast a shadow over New Year celebrations in Kisumu as authorities urge increased vigilance and safety measures around swimming facilities. They also emphasize the need for stricter regulations and community education to prevent future drownings.
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