Four siblings drown in Kisumu open quarry

A family in the Kanyakwar area of Kisumu Central Sub-county is grieving after its four siblings drowned in a water-filled quarry near Kudho Primary and Secondary schools on Sunday.

The tragedy has shaken the entire community and renewed urgent calls for authorities to secure or permanently close the abandoned quarry sites.

The four boys, all from the same household, reportedly went to the quarry, locally known as Kudho dam, at around 6 pm.

Local administrators and eyewitnesses said what began as an ordinary moment of play quickly turned fatal when one of the children slipped into a deeper section of the water and got into distress.

In an attempt to help, his brothers entered the water one after another, but they too were overwhelmed by the depth and conditions of the quarry, leading to all four losing their lives.

Residents living near the site said an alarm was raised after personal items, including clothes and water containers, were noticed near the edge of the quarry. Fearing something was wrong, neighbours mobilised quickly and rushed to the scene, drawing a large crowd as word spread across the village. Volunteers began an urgent retrieval effort as local leaders and first responders were alerted.

The quarry where the drowning occurred is one of several abandoned excavation pits spread across the area. Over time, many of these sites have filled with water and remain open, unfenced, and unguarded despite being located close to homes, footpaths, and learning institutions.

Kisumu County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo confirmed that the boys were aged between 8 and 15 years and were all sons of Mr Felix Otieno. He said security officers visited the scene and documented the incident, and that investigations have been launched.

Kondele Location Chief Maurice Ajwang confirmed that residents and first responders moved quickly to the scene and successfully retrieved all the bodies from the water after an intensive search by community members.

Speaking after the incident, the children’s father, Felix Otieno, struggled to describe the shock and pain of losing all his children at once. He said he was away from home when he received the news and returned immediately, only to find a large crowd gathered at the quarry and retrieval efforts ongoing.

“I was away when I got the information and rushed back as fast as I could. I found people already at the scene trying to help. I never imagined I could lose all my children in such a short time. They were all in school, and I believed they had a bright future ahead,” he said.

He appealed to well-wishers, leaders, and government agencies to support the family with burial preparations, saying the emotional and financial burden is overwhelming. He also urged the Kisumu County Government to take urgent steps to address the dangers posed by open quarry pits across Kanyakwar and neighbouring areas.

"These open quarrels are dangerous, and they are everywhere here. They should be filled or fenced so that no other family suffers like this again,” he said, noting that his children were not regular swimmers and that the incident unfolded suddenly after the youngest entered the water and did not come out, prompting the others to follow in an attempt to help.

The children’s mother, Celine Akinyi, said she had left home to work, believing her children were safe and studying. She later received a distress call asking her to return urgently. On arrival, she found residents gathered near the quarry and was informed that all four children had died.

“I came back and found people gathered and was told my children were gone. This is unbearable for me as a mother. I appeal to the authorities to act on these dangerous quarries so that other parents do not go through this pain,” she said.

The family’s grandmother, Caren Otieno, described the loss as one of the most painful moments the family has ever experienced.

She said losing four grandchildren at once had left relatives in deep shock and sorrow. “We are hurting as a family. These quarries have caused deaths before. The government should come and close them to protect our children,” she said, calling for immediate intervention from both county and national authorities.

Relatives and local leaders who arrived at the scene said the quarry has long been known by residents as a high-risk area but remains unprotected. Bishop Johana Otieno said community members rushed there immediately after reports spread that children had drowned.

“We found the children’s clothes and containers at the edge of the quarry, which showed they had entered the water. This place has been dangerous for a long time. There have been repeated incidents linked to these pits, and stronger regulation is needed,” he said. He called for the enforcement of quarry safety standards and the restoration of exhausted sites and urged parents and guardians to keep children away from such locations.

One of the first responders involved in the retrieval effort, Fidel Otieno, brother to Felix, said he joined the search immediately after being alerted by a family member. He said volunteers worked together to locate and remove the bodies from the water. “It was a very difficult moment for all of us, especially because they are our close relatives. This is not the first time such a tragedy has happened here, and preventive action is needed,” he said.

Residents say Kanyakwar and the surrounding areas have many water-filled excavation pits left behind after quarrying activities, most of them abandoned without safety measures. Because they are open and easily accessible, children are often tempted to visit them, particularly during hot weather. Community members are now calling for urgent fencing, warning signage, draining, or complete filling of the abandoned sites.

“Police have opened investigations to establish the full circumstances surrounding the drowning,” said Leparmorijo. The bodies were later transferred to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary pending postmortem examinations and burial arrangements.

As investigations continue, the grieving family is receiving support from neighbours, leaders, and well-wishers as they prepare for burial arrangements. The tragedy has once again highlighted the urgent need for strict enforcement of safety regulations around abandoned quarries and other high-risk environments to prevent further loss of young lives.