Search underway for man feared to have drowned in Lake Elementaita while chasing a buffalo

The authorities are conducting a search operation for a man who is feared to have drowned in Lake Elementaita on Tuesday September 24, 2025.

According to Gilgil sub-county police commander Winstone Mwakio, the man has not yet been found, but divers and other rescue workers are still searching the area.

“We are waiting for a boat to assist in the search. The body has not surfaced yet, and the divers are going as deep as possible,” he says.

The reason for the man's presence at the lake is not yet clear, but Mwakio says preliminary reports indicate he is a staff member at one of the nearby hotels and may have been swimming.

His clothes and phone were found on the shore, suggesting that he intended to return.

“He appears to have been alone at the time. His belongings were found by the shore yesterday afternoon," he says.

The chief of the area, Karura village in Kikopey sub-location, Boniface Mbage, confirms that two people were in the lake and that unfortunately one of them, a worker at a nearby lodge, drowned while pursuing a buffalo.

"According to the report I have received, the two young men were pursuing a buffalo that had been spotted by KWS officials. Realising that he was drowning, one of the men came back ashore in distress. He called out for help and informed the locals that his friend was nowhere to be seen,” he says.

Chief Mbage confirms that two boats have been deployed to assist the skilled divers in retrieving the body.

“The search started yesterday at around 3pm., with the help of some skilled divers, and continued until late in the evening. The search resumed today and is ongoing,” he says, adding that he has also received reports that the buffalo drowned.

Mbage notes that this is the second time this has happened in about four years, and that both cases are isolated events.