A family from Ivona East village in Mautuma location, Lugari Sub County is mourning the death of a university student who drowned in Indian Ocean over the weekend.
Speaking to West Media in his home, Mzee Johnston Mukwe Mang’eni said his grandson Barbton Mang’eni Mukwe had just completed his third year at the Pwani University where he was studying bachelor Art in Microbiology Science before he met his untimely death.
He said the grandson had developed passion in sports especially athletics and swimming and he died while swimming in the ocean.
“After doing third year final examination they were given a two weeks break before they could begin fourth year studies, his colleagues left to their respective home but for him he chose to remain in Coast saying it was costly to travel to their place and then back and due to his passion for swimming he went to the ocean as he was used to but he was overwhelmed by tides and drowned,” said Mzee Mukwe amid sob.
He said the deceased body was later removed by the Kenya Navy officers and taken to Kilifi mortuary where it was registered as unknown but after failing to return in the evening his friends whom they lived with on the same building got concerned and launched a search for him.
After receiving information about the body that had been retrieved from the ocean and taken to Kilifi mortuary, he said the friends went to the morgue where they managed to identify it to be that of his grandson before they informed the family.
Mzee Mukwe said they are working on arrangements to ferry the body for burial in Ivona East village.