'I watched my daughters drown' mother of sisters who drowned in Njoro speaks
Benaline Cherotich appeals to the County and National governments to help her find her daughters who drowned in river Ndarugu.
The Ndarugu River is roaring, as if angry, with water gushing heading South.
Divers shiver as they try again, for the second day, to find 17-year-old Sharon Chepng’etich and 15-year-old Faith Cheptoo, sisters who drowned on Monday morning.
By the river, almost six kilometres from their point of drowning, are eight divers, without diving gear, protected only by the prayers of the community that has pitched tent along the river.
Residents of Njoro watch from a distance as local divers search for the bodies of two sisters who drowned in the river on May 6, 2024.
Here, they prepare to head up the river with the strong currents pushing them down the river until they decide to split into two groups; one tackling the upper part and the other the lower one.
Back home, we meet the mum, Benaline Cherotich who is visibly hurting. She is preparing to go to the river where search and recovery efforts are underway.
“Sharon and Faith had slept well and woke up early as they prepared to tackle the day’s job,” she painfully recalls.
However, almost an hour after they had left the house, she heard screams, prompting her to run to the river.
“I watched my daughters drown in the river. Only their heads were visible as the current carried them across. We shouted for help but it was too late.”
Vincent Kuria, brother to the sisters says, “Before she left home, Sharon gave her mother Sh. 60 to help with the family expenses as she had earned quite an amount the previous day from harvesting potatoes.”
Vincent Kuria, brother to the two sisters who drowned in river Ndarugu on May 6, 2024.
He reveals that the night before the unfortunate ordeal, Sharon had received news that a potato farm was seeking workers and decided to rope in her sister and their aunt, Brenda Chepkoech, the morning of.
Kuria continues, “I told them to wake up early so that they can use the bridge and not their usual crossing point since the bridge is far from home.”
He was however awakened by screams the next morning as Brenda raised an alarm. Dashing to the river, Kuria says he saw a slipper floating past him. That was when he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Sharon and Faith, who come from a family of 12, were described as friendly children who loved being around people. They attended Tagetech Primary School and were in Junior Secondary School and Grade six respectively.
Outside of school, they were hardworking and despite their young age, they were eager to contribute to their family's livelihood.
The family now hopes that the Government will intervene and help find their children.