The body of a Maasai Mara University student who drowned in Enkare Narok River on Saturday afternoon has been retrieved and taken to the Narok County Referral Hospital mortuary.
In a statement sent to the media, the university’s management said the student drowned at the spot where two other students drowned in 2014.
According to Mohamed Aden, the dean of students at the university, the first year student — Moses Fortune — was also a literature and theatre class representative.
In the statement, Mr Aden said Fortune was in the company of his colleagues on an adventure along the river when he drowned.
“Colleagues claimed that the student decided to swim but unfortunately, he did not manage to emerge minutes after diving, prompting his peers to raise the alarm in the 1.30pm mishap,” said Mr Aden.
The dean of students said he was informed about the incident 10 minutes later. He called for an immediate response that saw a number of staff led by university diver Chris Kemboi rush to the scene.
The staff immediately started a search and rescue operation and retrieved the body of the student at around 4pm.
A team of police officers drawn from the Maasai Mara University Police Post and the Narok Police Station oversaw the retrieval and later took the body to the mortuary.
The dean of students briefed the student’s parents about the accident and relayed condolences from the university.
Meanwhile, students have been advised to exercise caution when visiting various scenes along the river as some sections are prone to similar incidents.
Seven years ago, two students drowned in the same river.
Earlier, a prison warder and an inmate who was serving a six-month sentence drowned at the same spot. BY DAILY NATION