A form three student on Sunday drowned in Muuoni Dam in Kathiani after leaving school in an effort of going to clean his clothes.
The student from Kaewa Secondary School in Kathiani together with four others had gone out of the school compound to the dam due to water shortage in the area.
Persistent water problems in the area have forced the students to look for water in the nearby dams and rivers.
Confirming the incident, Kaewa area chief Titus Mbuvi stated that, “The students of Kaewa secondary always go to the dam on weekends to either clean their clothes or fetch water. This is the first unfortunate case.”
“They came to clean with four others and after finishing, they started trying to cross the dam when the victim sank in the process and drowned,” he added.
Community policing officers from Kaewa location have joined Red Cross personnel from Machakos town and police officers in an extensive search for the missing body.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students and residents have been cautioned to be more careful while drawing water from the dam.
This comes barely four days after the Machakos governor launched a project aimed at drilling more boreholes in Matungulu constituency that will see the water shortage problem addressed.