Five Children Die After Falling into Septic Tank in Ruiru

Five children aged between three and seven years on Thursday died after they fell in a septic tank at Mwihoko area in Ruiru, Kiambu County.

Reports indicate that the kids were playing within the compound of an abandoned construction site when the cesspit covered with concrete caved in.

Confirming the Thursday afternoon tragedy, Ruiru Sub-County police commander Phineas Lingera said all the five children drowned in the water-filled tank.

“The five children were playing on top of an abandoned shrub within an abandoned construction of a plot. The shrub caved in when they were playing and inside there was water so they drowned,” he said.

The bodies of the five were retrieved from the pit and taken to different mortuaries within the area.

“We are ending the year and our hope was that we would not record any incident but the disaster has happened,” added Lingera.

Area MCA Benson Kamau King’ara called for the closure of all open septic tanks to ensure the safety of residents.

“We are going to enforce such policies so that we avert such tragic accidents in the future,” he said.