A police officer in Kenya, identified as Inspector Cyprian Kasili tragically lost his life on Wednesday afternoon in Matungulu, Machakos County after floods swept his car into River Kware.
Reports say the officer, who was the base commander for Ruai, was driving home from work when the incident happened.
Residents found his car submerged in the river around 4 p.m. The situation was reported to the police, who quickly retrieved his lifeless body.
“It was established that he was driving back to his home in Lowland Estate within the Kware area,” a police report read.
The officer’s body was taken to Patjud Furenal Home awaiting autopsy, as efforts to retrieve the car from the river went on into Thursday morning.
Devastating floods in Kenya have claimed at least 170 lives, displaced over 200,000 people, and destroyed property, infrastructure, and livelihoods across the country. This has worsened the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of the country.
The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday that approximately two million Kenyans are in urgent need of food aid following the worsening floods.
NDMA in a March update, reported acute malnutrition among children and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers, with over 847,000 children and 124,000 mothers needing urgent treatment.
The Kenyan government issued an evacuation order on Wednesday to people living in high-risk areas, following warnings that heavier rains are to be expected.
