KDF Recovers Body of Drowning Victim After Six-Day Operation

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have recovered the body of a middle-aged man who drowned in the deep waters of Chepkorio Dam in Ngeria, Uasin Gishu County, after a six-day recovery mission.
In a statement, KDF confirmed the operation culminated on September 13 and was spearheaded by highly trained personnel from the Kenya Navy Clearance Diving Unit (KN CDU) in collaboration with the 9th Battalion of the Kenya Rifles (9 KR).
According to KDF, the victim went missing in the dam, located near the busy Eldoret-Nakuru highway, prompting a large-scale multi-agency search.
Local divers had initially attempted to locate the body, but their efforts failed due to the dam’s extreme depth, which is estimated to be approximately 80 feet.
This prompted the intervention of the KDF, who deployed a specialised dive team fitted with sophisticated gear, including JJ Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) systems – an advanced underwater breathing technology which enables longer dive times and broader operational reach.
Notably, CCR systems, unlike the traditional SCUBA gear, are used in more technical settings, like in the oil and gas industry, where divers are required to perform inspections and repairs of offshore rigs.
The state-of-the-art system allowed the KDF to navigate the complex underwater environment, eventually leading to the discovery of the body.
While the identity of the man is yet to be made public, the body is set for forensic examination before official confirmation and family notification.
Besides defending the territorial integrity of the country,KDF also takes an active role in humanitarian assistance, disaster response and infrastructure support across various parts of the country.
More recently, the military was deployed to oversee the construction of the two facilities in Siaya – the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium and the modernisation of the Siaya Level 5 Hospital.
In Mombasa, the KDF also had a hand in the demolition of a faulty building on May 9.
President William Ruto, in one of his latest directives, directed the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to oversee the construction of 70 Level Four hospitals across the country.
Speaking in Narok on Thursday, September 11, Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru, who confirmed the directive, clarified that thedeployment of the military to execute the projectsdoes not mean that the Ministry of Defence will sideline other government agencies and county governments, but rather work with them to fast-track implementation.