People around River Oluch during the search of Griffin Omondi in Homabay// Photo Courtesy.
The body of a 13 year old boy who drowned in River Oluch in Katonde sublocation, Koyugi location, Karachuonyo in Homabay County has been retrieved after a four day search exercise.
The grade six pupil at Obujo primary school identified as Griffin Omondi Ochieng’ met his untimely death after he drowned in the river when he went to swim together with other children.
According to the deceased father, Jared Ochieng’ Dondi, the body of their son was retrieved a 100 metres away from where he drowned last Friday.
“I lost my son Griffin Omondi on Friday 10 am in the water, and by God’s will we found him yesterday by 6:30 pm, we moved a distance of about 100 metres from where we were, then my friend saw something, and after checking I saw that it’s Griffin. I was thankful and now we have taken him to Gendia mortuary where his body is preserved currently,” he said.
The search of the body was carried out by the department of disaster management in collaboration with volunteer divers who managed to retrieve it today at around mid morning.
Since Friday the deceased family and relatives have been camping at the bank of River Oluch with hopes of retrieving his body.
“On that Friday when he drowned we were sitting beside the river, until Saturday. Even yesterday we sat at the river, and we started searching for him and we couldn’t find him, so yesterday in the evening he was found,” said Sarah Auma, the deceased mother.
The family is now appealing to local leaders to help them meet the mortuary bills and other burial expenses for their departed son.
“By now we are overwhelmed, we have nothing, we are just requesting for your help to bid him a send off. He was my firstborn child, now they are remaining three,” the mother appealed.
