Mai Mahiu Man Pictured Carrying Dead Child Says He Didn't Know Deceased Boy: "I Just Helped"

• Stephen Njoroge Wambui left many in tears when a heartbreaking video captured him carrying the lifeless body of a young boy
• Many concluded that he was a grieving father who had lost his son in the Mai Mahiu floods
• Njoroge has, however, clarified that he stumbled on the body while going to work and decided to save it from the mud

On Tuesday, April 30, Stephen Njoroge Wambui went viral after a video captured him carrying a dead child on his back.

This was after the Kijabe dam burst its banks on Sunday, April 28, releasing floodwaters that swept through villages and shattered the peace in Mai Mahiu.

An emotional viral video of Njoroge carrying the lifeless body of the little one left many Kenyans disturbed.

As of Monday, May 06, the death toll had risen to 58 after the military officers recovered two more bodies in the ongoing rescue mission.

Njoroge opened up about the baby he was carrying

In a YouTube interview with Mururi TV, the man clarified that he did not know whose child it was.

"I was also affected by the water and so as I was passing by, I saw the dead child and decided I would not leave them in the mud," he said.

Njoroge added that after carrying the child, he went back and retrieved nine more bodies and also rescued a family.

He disclosed that he earned a living through hustling as a turnboy and working construction jobs.

Njoroge lost phone, shoes in the floods

Njoroge recalled the night of horror that changed the lives of the affected village, adding that he heard chilling sounds of people screaming at 2am.

"I was headed to the quarry for work when I stumbled on the body and decided to save him from that mud," he noted.

They managed to save over 50 people, but he was left without anything as the floods and mudslides carried away all his household possessions.

He lost his phone, shoes, and other personal effects and requested that kindhearted Kenyans help him replace them.

What you need to know:

• When the clip was uploaded on social media, many concluded that Njoroge had lost his son in the floods and was carrying the body home.
• One of the hardest hit was Grishon Waiganjo, who lost his sons and property in the disaster.
• Nakuru governor Susan Kihika stated that the county and the government would conduct a memorial service for the tragedy victims.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke