The bodies of two men, who were last seen with police and a government official, have been recovered from the Thika River.
When the bodies were recovered, one of them already had handcuffs on his wrist.
Nicholas Maithya and Asman Kamau, two young men from Gatanga’s Rubiru village, were apprehended by police officers and the assistant leader.
The two men were fishing with two other friends when they were seized by the area’s assistant chief and his police officers, who suspected them of engaging in rampant brewing of illicit liquor along the river, according to the families of the deceased.
The two men drowned while fleeing the assistant chief who was hunting illegal brewers along the river, according to Gatanga Deputy Sub-County Police Commander Simon Mulu.
According to eyewitnesses, the assistant chief and his coworkers disappeared after they realized the two had drowned. Brian Mbithi and Joseph Ndolo, who were with the deceased, tried unsuccessfully to rescue them but were swept away by the swollen river.
Residents claim that one body was found with handcuffs on it and that the other had handcuff marks on it, but police have denied any involvement in the deaths.
The two men drowned while fleeing the assistant chief who was hunting illegal brewers along the river, according to Gatanga Deputy Sub-County Police Commander Simon Mulu.
The bodies are currently in the morgue at Thika’s General Kago Hospital.
