A family in Ndabibi, Naivasha, is in shock following the death of their seven-year-old child.
The child’s body was found hanging from a rope outside the family home, initially raising fears of suicide.
However, police later determined the death was accidental, caused when the girl became entangled in the loose end of the rope.
A village elder, Samson Mburu, said the child had been playing with a friend who left for home shortly before the incident.
On returning, the friend found the girl hanging and unresponsive and informed her parents, who were working on a nearby farm.
“By the time the parents arrived and rushed her to a local health centre, she had already passed on, and police had taken over the investigation,” Mburu said.
Naivasha DCIO Isaac Kiama confirmed that an inquest file had been opened and that initial investigations pointed to an accident.
“It was first thought she had committed suicide, but we suspect she became entangled in the swinging rope, leading to her death,” he said.
In a separate incident in Mirera Estate, 10 kilometres from Naivasha town, one minor died from suspected food poisoning while two others remain in serious condition at Naivasha Sub-County Hospital.
The children had eaten leftover food their mother brought home after selling part of it to construction workers at Kedong Ranch.
The minors began complaining of stomach pains and were rushed to the hospital, where one was confirmed dead on arrival.