A 30-year-old man tragically lost his life due to electrocution in Athi River, Machakos County.
Antony Njuguna was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident, which took place in Jua Kali village on Wednesday.
Philis Muthoni, the police commander for Athi River South subcounty, confirmed that the incident was reported to the local police station as an electrocution case at 5:29 PM that same day.
According to Muthoni, a bystander alerted the authorities that an employee of a private company in Jua Kali village had died after inadvertently coming into contact with a drooping electric cable.
At the time of the accident, Njuguna was with a driver from the same company. “The witness informed the police that around 3:00 PM, the driver was unloading sawdust outside the company’s premises alongside Antony Njuguna, who was approximately 30 years old,” Muthoni explained in a phone interview with the Star on Thursday.
Muthoni detailed that Njuguna accidentally touched a live wire with a metal spade, resulting in the electrocution.
Emergency responders, including police officers and personnel from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, along with staff from Kenya Power and Lighting Company, quickly arrived at the scene.
The police commander noted that crime scene investigators processed the area, and Njuguna’s body was taken to the Shalom Community Hospital mortuary in Athi River, pending an autopsy.
Muthoni also mentioned that detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident. She urged local residents to exercise caution when working near electrical cables to prevent similar tragedies.
