Kirinyaga University Student’s Body Recovered After Four-Day Search

Police confirmed that the body of an 18-year-old first-year student at Kirinyaga University was recovered after a four-day search, with two reports naming him Gideon Ekai and another naming him Gedion Ekai.

The student drowned on Sunday, October 18, 2026 while swimming with a friend at Thiba Falls in Kirinyaga County.

Residents and fellow students searched the river for four days and on Wednesday evening, October 21, 2026, the body was found; People Daily and Citizen Digital say it was discovered at Kiamathatwa village, while KahawaTungu reports it was floating in the Ngomongo area about four kilometres downstream from the falls.

The body was positively identified by his aunt Esakon Ekal and also by fellow students, and local divers retrieved it.

The body was taken to Kerugoya Hospital Mortuary for a postmortem, with KahawaTungu noting it was transferred to Kerugoya Level Five Hospital mortuary and is being preserved pending examination.

Police said they will rely on the postmortem findings as investigations into the drowning continue.

Residents raised alarm over the growing number of university students swimming in River Thiba despite repeated warnings, and resident Chomba Ngahu said locals usually urge them not to swim and that this is not the first incident.

Fisherman Simon Mwaniki Njoka warned that sections where students swim are particularly dangerous, describing deep waters and submerged tree roots as hazards, and said Ekai is the third university student to drown in the river, with another student’s body recovered last year.

Resident Joseph Warui urged students to avoid swimming and risky activities around trees along the river banks.

Police reported that the body had injuries on the face.