Four boys from the same family in Kisumu County have lost their lives after they drowned in a dam on Sunday, February 9.
According to reports, the incident happened in an open quarry near Kudho Primary and Secondary School on Sunday evening as the boys went to swim in the abandoned quarry.
Benson Leparmorijo, Kisumu County Commissioner, stated that the four boys were brothers and ranged in age from 8 to 15.
The incident occurred after one of the boys reportedly went to swim in a deeper part of the dam and began to drown.
The other three then went to try to rescue him, but were also overwhelmed by the water.
Witnesses of the incident then contacted the security agencies, who came and spearheaded the retrieval of the bodies of the four boys.
After retrieval, police took the bodies to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary to await post-mortems.
Police have confirmed that they have begun investigations to determine what circumstances led to the incident.
Residents have further been cautioned against swimming in unprotected water sites such as quarries and dams to prevent such tragedies.
Incidents of drowning in open quarries and unprotected dams have repeatedly claimed lives across the country, with children among the most affected.
Just last year, in October, two pupils in Kabete, Kiambu county, died on Friday, October 10, 2025, at an abandoned quarry after a tree planting activity, to commemorate Mazingira Day
The two, a boy and a girl, were among a group of pupils who had gone swimming in the dam when the tragedy struck.
Reports indicated that both pupils were overwhelmed by the water after the boy attempted to rescue the girl, who had started drowning first.
“One of them went in first, and when they saw their friend starting to sink, they tried to raise the alarm. Then the other pupil came to rescue her and ended up sinking himself,” said Kabete Sub-County Police Commander Peter Kamotho.
