Missing Kirinyaga Businessman’s Body Found in Sagana River: Search Ends After Nine Days
The search for a businessman who disappeared after his car plunged into the flooding Sagana River in Kirinyaga County concluded on Sunday when Kenya Defence Forces divers located his body.
The businessman, Samuel Kamau, 41, was found decomposed, floating about two kilometers downstream from where he drowned.
KDF divers recovered the body, which was then transported to the mortuary. However, his Nissan Double Cabin vehicle has not yet been found.
Moses Koskei, the Kirinyaga West Sub-county police boss, expressed gratitude to the residents for their assistance in the search.
On May 2, Kamau vanished under unclear circumstances, prompting family members and the police to conduct an extensive search. KDF soldiers from the Disaster Response Battalion later joined the effort but had to suspend it due to the swift water flow in the river caused by heavy rains.
The operation, overseen by Kirinyaga County Commissioner Allasow Hussein and other senior security officers, as well as numerous residents, paused to allow divers to acquire advanced equipment.
Divers resumed the operation on Sunday and discovered the body of the trader, well-known in the Sagana and Kagio areas, floating in the water after nine days.
Kamau, the son of Kagio tycoon Peter Kagwanja, was returning home from neighboring Murang’a County around 11 pm when the accident occurred, shocking his family.
Before the accident, Kamau had been socializing with friends, according to his family. He left Murang’a to visit a friend in Sagana, his hometown.
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While en route to Sagana, he called his friend and maintained the conversation on the phone while driving. Suddenly, Kamau screamed once, and the call disconnected, his sister Grace Wambui reported. Wambui stated that Kamau’s friend had provided a statement to the police.
“When my brother failed to arrive in Sagana as he had promised and his phone suddenly went off, his friend grew suspicious that something was wrong, so he traveled to Murang’a to search for him but couldn’t find him,” Wambui explained.
Subsequently, the friend reported the incident to the Sagana police station and provided a statement.
A piece of metal believed to be from Kamau’s vehicle was discovered at the accident site.
“It seems like my brother’s vehicle collided with something before plunging into the river because a piece of metal suspected to be from his car was found at the scene,” said Ms. Wambui, describing her brother as a good and hardworking man whose death bewildered the family. “The family and area residents adored him; he was very sociable,” she added.
The family stated that they would now focus on funeral arrangements to give their loved one a proper farewell.
Missing Kirinyaga Businessman’s Body Found in Sagana River: Search Ends After Nine Days
