Couple Die After Car Plunges Into Juja Dam
Their identities have not yet been released, and the cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Marvin Chege 
A man and his wife died on Tuesday evening, January 17 after they drowned in a dam in Juja, Kiambu County.
The car which they were travelling in had plunged into the dam located at the Toll area in Juja, in what is believed to be a suicide case.
Those who witnessed the incident revealed that the couple had parked the car beside the river and reportedly relaxed and made merry prior to the tragedy.
A Kiambu county government rescue vehicle at Juja Dam on January 18, 2023. /NTV
It is alleged that the two had got into a disagreement that made the man start the car and reverse it into the dam.
By Tuesday evening, rescuers had managed to recover the body of the woman while efforts to recover both the vehicle and the body of the man were ongoing.
"We only managed to retrieve the body of the woman. She had tried to swim and had moved towards the bank but unfortunately, she didn't make it.
"We have already located where the car is and the man's body," Martin Ngugi, a fire officer from the county, told journalists.
On Wednesday, January 18, the body of the man and the car were spotted in the dam and efforts to retrieve it were launched which were successful at 11 am.
The bodies of the two victims were taken to General Kago Funeral Home. Their identities have not yet been released, and the cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Murera Ward MCA, Ngatha Wambiri, while speaking at the scene, disclosed that the Ward has five dams, some of which have been dangerous to locals and should now be fenced to protect lives. To ensure this, he unveiled a plan to table a bill in Parliament to have all the dams fenced.
A local also claimed that picnics were being held around the dam, which had been transformed into a recreational area. Revellers have been thronging the area for "park and chill" activities while indulging in merry-making.
George Kagochi, a resident further reiterated that the dam has become a death trap for residents and visitors, revisiting an incident in 2022 whereby four students drowned while having fun.
"There have been countless incidences where people have lost their lives in this dam. It's high time our leaders expedite fencing of the dam to put an end to these incidences," Kagochi said.
A dam in Kenya. /FILE
