A family in Nakuru is mourning the death of a 19-year-old man whose body was recovered from Lake Nakuru five days after he went missing.

The family of Stephen Mbugua says he went to the lake on Thursday night but did not return, prompting a search that ended with the recovery of his body from the water.

His sister, Lucy Muthoni Wambui, says the family received a report on Friday that Mbugua was missing.

“It is unclear what happened, and as a family, we are speculating that he may have been running away and jumped into the water and was trapped by a fish net and failed to get out,” she says speculatively.

The family says they later went to Bondeni Police Station to seek information about his whereabouts and were told to wait 72 hours for the matter to be pursued.

“On Sunday, the police went into the lake and didn’t find him. We were later called on Tuesday that a body had been seen floating but unfortunately couldn’t be retrieved following an ongoing case,” says Muthoni.

After retrieving the body, the family positively identified it as Mbugua’s before taking it to PNN mortuary.

19-year-old Stephen Mbugua who recently drowned in Lake Nakuru

Photo credit: LELETI JASSOR/ MTAA WANGU

Muthoni says a friend they often hangout with went by the lake and only found his clothes and his paddle and couldn’t find him.

“At that time, he’d gone alone into the water and when his friends later came to join him found him missing,” she says.

Mbugua’s mother, Caroline Wanjiru, says her fifth born son dropped school while in Form Two and started fending for himself working in construction before taking up fishing.

She says she received the news about his disappearance on Friday at around 5p.m. and went to report the matter to Bondeni police station.

Wanjiru says she later identified the body at PNN and confirmed that it belonged to Mbugua.

A family friend, Charles Gichuki, warns young people who engage in fishing at the lake to be careful and dress appropriately.

“The government should do something about youth employment because the only reason young people are at the lake is because of unemployment. They could bring back kazi mtaani initiative to keep the youth occupied, so they do not get involved in activities that are dangerous to them,” he says, noting that this will be the last time a youth dies in Lake Nakuru.

The family is now mourning the teenager as questions remain over the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

Naivasha Police launch probe after body of 46-year-old man is retrieved from a well in Kihoto

Author Spotlight

Leleti Jassor