A 28-year-old man drowned in Nyamindi River, Kirinyaga County on Thursday while celebrating his birthday in the company of his wife and a friend.

The deceased, Kelvin Muthomi, a hotelier at Kimbimbi town is said to have slipped and fallen at the Nyamindi fall as his wife and friend watched helplessly.

According to his colleague George Macharia, Muthomi who hails from Meru County and works at Kirinyaga had requested a day off from the hotel management to celebrate his birthday when the tragedy happened.

“We are told he slipped and drowned by villagers who alerted the area assistant chief and the police officers before informing his relatives in Meru,” Macharia said.

Ngucui Assistant Chief George Mungai confirmed the incident saying Muthomi fell at around 4 pm and that his body has not yet been retrieved.

“We know the history of this river and residents must be cautious despite this dry season,” Mungai said. 

Ngucui residents and police officers are still searching for the deceased's body.

“We are hoping we will retrieve his body today after looking for him yesterday for three hours. It was tough searching for the body yesterday,” Margaret Muthoni a resident said.