A one-year-old girl died after allegedly falling into an open borehole at a daycare facility in the Upepo area of Kisumu East Sub-County. The child was found floating in the borehole on Sunday evening, October 11, 2026. Her father had taken her to the daycare facility in the morning, but when he returned at around 5:45 pm, he was informed that the toddler had fallen into the borehole.
Police officers rushed to the scene and found the child’s body floating in the borehole. Personnel from the Kisumu County Fire Brigade retrieved the body, which was moved to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary for preservation pending a postmortem examination. Police recorded the incident at around 8:40 pm, with investigations expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
The tragedy raises fresh concerns about the safety of young children in daycare facilities, particularly the need to secure open boreholes and other potentially dangerous structures in residential compounds. The circumstances under which the toddler accessed the borehole had not been fully established by the time of reporting. This incident is a reminder of the risks posed by uncovered boreholes and other open water sources to young children.
In another incident, a two-year-old boy died after drowning in a water pond at a neighbour’s homestead in Nzise Village, Makueni County. The child was found floating in a pond approximately two meters deep on Sunday evening, October 11, 2026. According to police, the boy had been playing with two other children at the homestead of a neighbour.
The two other children reportedly returned to their homes later in the evening, but the two-year-old boy remained missing. His aunt subsequently searched for him and discovered his body floating in the water pond. A team of officers led by the deputy officer commanding station visited the scene and took the necessary action.
The boy’s body was later moved to Nuclear Funeral Home in Wote, where it was preserved pending a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death. The incident occurred in Kyuasini Sub-location, Okia Location, within Makueni Sub-County. Authorities are expected to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Additionally, a fisherman is feared drowned in Lake Victoria after falling from a boat while on a fishing expedition near Migingo Island in Migori County. The incident occurred on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The missing fisherman, identified only as Jerry, was fishing alongside two other Kenyan fishermen when the incident happened.
Key points
- A one-year-old girl died after falling into an open borehole at a daycare facility in Kisumu East Sub-County on Sunday evening.
- A two-year-old boy died after drowning in a water pond at a neighbour’s homestead in Nzise Village, Makueni County.
- A fisherman is feared drowned in Lake Victoria after falling from a boat while on a fishing expedition near Migingo Island in Migori County.
