Nairobi: A Grade 9 student is swept away by floods while following his friends to play

• John Mutuku was with his friend, on his way to play football, when he was unfortunately swept away by the flood
• His friend warned the residents, who rushed to the place where Mutuku had slipped and been swept away by the overflowing water, hoping at least to find his body
• The heartbroken Mutuku family in Nairobi spoke bitterly about the incident as they held on to the hope of finding their Class 9 relatives against all odds.

When it rains, it rains. Although rain is often regarded as a blessing, it can sometimes bring disaster, as seen in this case in Nairobi county.

A family has launched a desperate search for their relative, who was swept away by heavy floods following heavy rains.

John Mutuku was picked up near Nairobi West Prison on his way to play football with his friend, just a few blocks from home on that fateful day.

Mutuku’s aunt speaks in pain

Mutuku’s aunt, Mercy, tearfully recounted when she received the bad news about her nephew, a Grade 9 student at Shadrack Kimalel Junior School.

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“At the moment, we have the help of the Red Cross, who are helping us. Yesterday, the divers tried to help and they did everything they could, but they said they could not find his body. Today, we have a rescue team, so we hope that we will find Mutuku and bring him home.

I received a call and was asked to go to Mutuku’s mother’s house. When I arrived, I was told that Mutuku had fallen into the water in Lang’ata. I didn’t take it seriously at first because I was with him that morning. Then I gathered the female neighbors and Mutuku’s friend, who was with him when he fell into the water. The boy led us to Nyayo Highrise and showed us where Mutuku slipped and fell,” he said.

Mutuku’s neighbor speaks

Evalyne Moraa, a neighbor, was very saddened by the news and described how she reacted when she heard it.

He was at work when he received the information and immediately closed his shop before rushing to the scene where Mutuku was last seen.

“We have been here from 7 in the afternoon to 7 in the morning. We remained strong even when it rained. Our Member of the County Assembly (MCA) also arrived but he could not do much. We returned this morning, and that is when the Red Cross joined us. We are hopeful that we will find a body,” he said.

Nairobi Disaster Management Team

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Another resident, Simon, was also present in the area and remembered hearing Mutuku’s friend shouting after witnessing him being washed away by the flood.

He alleged that Disaster Management officials arrived late, adding that if they had responded earlier, the body would have been found at the spot.

“Honestly, because of the heavy rain, finding the body will be difficult. We can only put our hope in God. The flood must have taken the body away. Searching today feels like there is no point, but we will stay here as long as possible,” he said.

The family carries the coffin of the deceased on their shoulders

In another story, a family had to carry the coffin of a government official on their shoulders through floodwaters due to a faulty road network.

They were seen wading through muddy, knee-deep water as they tried to maintain their balance to avoid falling and knocking over the coffin.

The incident sparked mixed reactions among social media users, who shared their views in the comments section.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke