Meet group that conducts search, rescue missions in river Ndarugu
Members of the public linger around River Ndarugu during one of the rescue missions by the 'private divers.'
October 2022 remains etched in the mind of Stephen Muturi as the time a young school boy drowned in River Ndarugu.
Muturi joined members of the ‘private divers’ group in a search and rescue mission that lasted 27 days.
After 26 days of waking up as early as 6am to swim through the river, the group of divers managed to retrieve the body from the lower part of River Ndarugu near the border of Lake Nakuru National Park.
“It was hectic trying to wade through the waters looking for his body but eventually we found him,” Muturi says visibly disturbed by memories of this incident.
Stephene Muturi, who leads a group of divers that have rescued residents from River Ndarugu during the rainy season.
This incident is just one of the many cases that the local divers go through in trying to save lives or retrieve bodies of people who fall into the river.
With just basic training, the young private divers who started the service in 2006 have retrieved several bodies from the river in the past years.
Majority of those who drown in the river are school going children and youth from the area who come there to explore their swimming prowess, only to be overwhelmed by the deep waters.
Stephen Muturi with other members of the divers team that conducts search and rescue missions in River Ndarugu.
The group prides itself in being part of the team that helped in the search for victims of the Chopper crash in Lake Nakuru five years ago that killed all those who were on board.
With many cases being reported in the river during the rainy seasons, Muturi says the government should support their initiative by providing proper training and diving equipment to the members.
“The risks are many ranging from broken glasses, snake bites as well as being overwhelmed by the waters that can lead to one of us drowning,” says Muturi.