On Tuesday, August 13, 2025, three people lost their lives in separate drowning incidents on Lake Victoria in Siaya County, Kenya. The three accidents that happened in Bondo and Rarieda subcounties are the continuous safety problems around the lake.
Moreover, in Usenge, Bondo Subcounty, a herdsman who was trying to save a goat that had been carried off by the waves went into the lake.
As per the witnesses, he was taken below the water and drowned. His corpse was taken from the scene to Bondo Subcounty Hospital mortuary for postmortem examination.
The other case is in Rarieda Subcounty, where two primary school pupils aged 10 and 12 years drowned while bathing in the lake.
The children were allowed to go to the lake after school hours and they did so. Both the corpses were discovered by the rescue teams and community members, who then took them to Madiany Subcounty Hospital mortuary.
Local police and county officials have sent out the message that residents should be very careful around the lake, especially during such times. Lake Victoria, the biggest lake with fresh water in Africa, has seen many deaths by drowning in recent times.
This has raised the demand for more safety education and better emergency response systems to avert these kinds of tragedies in the future.
