Two men lost their lives after drowning in a septic tank at EPZ, Kapiti area in Kitengela, Kajiado County on Wednesday.
The two are said to have been doing some repairs in one of the apartments in the area before they drowned in the septic tank with sewer water.
The apartment’s management said that a plumber had been contracted on Wednesday October 6,2021 to do some routine repair work on the leaking septic tank before the tragedy occurred at around 4:00 pm.
According to those who witnessed, three men had inspected the drainage system of the apartment before opening three septic tanks in the compound so as to do the repair work.
While the work was ongoing, one of the man inside the tank was heard screaming prompting his colleague to rush and save him. The two however did not make it.
Those who responded to the distress calls could not save the victims because of the depth of the septic tank that require skills to access it.
Police and county officials had a rough time to contain a curious crowd that had gathered around the septic tank to see what was going on.
It took over an hour for the Kajiado emergency department and Kenya Red Cross officers to retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
Residents called upon landlords to ensure the safety of their septic tanks by engaging qualified personnel to handle repairs so that such cases are not witnessed in future.
“It is very sad that lives have been lost while people were striving to make a living and better they lives. As Kitengela residents, we would wish that landlords prioritize the safety of those who manage and repair the drainage system of their apartments. There is a lot of ignorance by landlords who barely care who they hire to do septic tanks repairs. We also condemn casual labourers who focus on eking a living at the expense of their safety. It calls for all parties to be responsible and consider safety as key,’’ a residents said.
Isinya sub-county police commander Charles Chepkonga urged landlords to be cautious while handling sewerage systems to avert such deaths.
The bodies have since been moved to Kitengela sub-county hospital mortuary.
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