A family in Mlolongo, Athi River Sub-County, Machakos County, has been thrown into mourning after a three-year-old boy died after falling into an open manhole.
The boy was reportedly playing with his three other friends when he fell into the manhole at a stalled construction site in Mlolongo Phase 3 area.
Confirming the incident, Athi River East Police Commander Anderson Mbae said the matter was reported at Mlolongo Police Station on Monday, February 3 afternoon.
The family of the deceased is now pleading for justice, calling upon authorities to hold the owners of the unfinished building responsible for the death of their son.
According to the deceased’s father, Hellon Samson, his was in good health in the morning when he decided to join his peers in the neighbourhood.
The boy’s mother, Janet Nyaboke, devastated by the loss, says the deceased was her only child. “He was full of life. It’s heartbreaking to lose him in this manner,” she mourned.
Grief-stricken locals now claim that this is not the first time a child has drowned in the same manhole.
Paul Mutavi, the village elder for Mlolongo Phase 3, regretted the incident, urging authorities to enforce strict safety measures for construction sites.
“This carelessness has cost us lives before. It’s unacceptable that investors fail to secure their sites, leaving residents exposed to danger,” Mutavi told our reporter Dennis Mwikya.
Residents have since opted to cover the manhole, highlighting the community’s frustrations over the numerous open pits, manholes, and septic tanks scattered across the area.
The child’s body was removed to Kitengela Level 4 Hospital mortuary in Kajiado County, awaiting an autopsy.
