This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
On August 6, 2020, a tragic incident occurred in Rachuonyo South sub-county, where a 30-year-old police officer lost his life while swimming in River Awach.
Constable Godfrey Odhiambo Juma, attached to Kosele Police Station, met his untimely death after being swept away by strong currents while swimming near Riwo area in North Kamagak Location.
According to Homa Bay county Police Commander Esther Seroney, officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have launched an investigation into the incident to determine the circumstances surrounding the officer's death.
Seroney explained that the officer was accompanied by two civilian friends when he jumped into the water to swim, but was unable to resurface due to the strong currents.
His colleagues, who were waiting for him at the riverbanks, became suspicious when he failed to resurface, leading to a search effort that ultimately resulted in the retrieval of his body by members of the public and police officers from Kosele police station.
The body was taken to Rachuonyo sub-county hospital for a postmortem examination.
