Kakamega: Retired Doctor Dies After He's Swept Away By Floods At Local Stream While Returning Home

• Ronald Musume, a retired psychiatrist, tragically lost his life while attempting to cross the swollen Lwang'ombe stream in Musutsu village
• Despite the stream not previously posing a danger, heavy rains had rendered it treacherous, leading to Musume's fatal encounter with the floodwaters
• Musume's wife, Fridah Okuku, initially anticipated his return the following day, as he often stayed overnight in Kakamega Town due to work commitments
• Fridah received the devastating news of her husband's demise through a phone call from a stranger, initially dismissing it as a rumour until she was urged to collect his body

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kakamega - Residents of Musutsu village in Shinyalu constituency are coming to terms with the death of Ronald Musume, a retired doctor.

Musume, a psychiatrist, was reportedly carried away by the raging floods as he tried to cross the swollen Lwang'ombe stream.

According to the family, the stream has never been dangerous, but the recent heavy rains have made it difficult to cross.

Musume's wife, Fridah Okuku, said when her husband failed to return home, she wasn't worried as he would arrive the following morning.

She explained that Musume worked in a clinic he established after retiring in 2016 and would spend the night in Kakamega Town once it reached 10pm.

"I knew he would spend the night in Kakamega as usual because it was past 10 pm, and I knew he would come back home the following day," she said.

How did Fridah find out husband had died?

However, things took a tragic turn the next day when she got a call from a stranger informing her that Musume's body had been found downstream.

Fridah initially downplayed the news as rumours until she got a second call from the same person asking her to pick up his body from the stream.

"Someone called me and said, "Your husband has passed away, he's down by the river." I was surprised by what this person was saying. It has been raining continuously since last night until now, and this person is telling me my husband has passed away?

I was puzzled, so I dismissed it, thinking it might just be a story they were telling me, and I went back to sit down. After about five minutes, that person called me again and asked, "Where are you? Your husband has died, he's by the river," she said.

Baringo driver escapes death

Separately, occupants of a pick-up in Baringo stared death in the eye after the vehicle was swept away while attempting to cross a seasonal river.

Onlookers warned the driver before venturing into the water, but he ignored them and drove through the raging water.

Shortly after, the vehicle lost control and flipped over, landing upside down in the river.

What more to know about the floods in Kenya

• During a visit to Mathare slums, Ruto disclosed that the government had allocated KSh 1 billion to construct all schools destroyed by floods before schools reopened.
• The death toll from floods continued to rise after the government announced that 228 people had died, while 72 others were still missing as of Sunday, May 5.
• Kisumu-Nairobi Highway became impassable after River Nyando burst its banks on Sunday, May 5.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke