When four fishermen set out for a fishing expedition in Kajimo, Rachuonyo North in Homabay County on Monday, they did not know that the same would mark the most scary ordeal of their profession.
Samuel Otieno, Kennedy Oluoch, Shadrack Ogutu and Raphael Otiu would later find themselves trapped in water hyacinth 3 kilometers off shore, having to spend the next three days in the lake unable to move.
The four who had set off from Achich Beach would later go sleepless, hungry and at the mercy of man-eating sea creatures for the next three days, before they were rescued and safely delivered to Kamwai Beach in Suba North.
In the lake, they told the Standard that they had to endure the cold nights and merciless mosquitoes which feasted on them once darkness came calling.
"The incident caught us unawares because we planned to fish from dawn and leave the lake during the day. We experienced very cold weather in the lake,” Mr Ogutu was quoted.
"I fear I could have contracted malaria,” said Mr Otiu according to the paper.
They also survived hippos and other creatures they could see moving in the water, at one point a hippo changing it's mind after what had seemed as a looming attack on the group.
"At one time I thought we would perish after seeing a hippo moving towards us. We prayed to God until it disappeared,” Mr Otieno added.
They as well had to endure empty stomachs throughout their time in the lake as their supply of Ugali and fish was depleted on the first night, leaving them to survive on the fresh water lake to quench both the thrust and temporarily the hunger.
They as well told each other stories to pass time, before the weeds on Wednesday moved the boat closer to land, a situation that they took to their advantage.
They took off their shirts and waved them to passing boats, before they were spotted by people on the shores who in turn alerted Homabay Town East ward representative Juma Awuor who as well alerted the disaster management team, leading to their rescue.