Police retrieve minor's body from Nairobi River after two weeks

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Residents of Mwiki in Kasarani, Nairobi, have accused the police of slow action after they finally retrieved the decomposing body of a young girl's from the Nairobi River on Thursday, two weeks after the reported the incident.

Zena Angima, a Nyumba Kumi leader in the area, told The Standard that residents first spotted the body weeks ago and immediately notified the relevant authorities, but no action was taken.

“Residents working in a nearby farm informed me about the body. I reported the matter to the relevant authorities and was repeatedly directed to Mwiki Police Station. I made several reports, but nothing was done,” she said.

Residents say they woke up every day to the heart-breaking sight of the young girl's body lying in the river, with their repeated efforts to seek intervention getting little response.

Leah Mwai, a resident, said she had heard about the body long before she personally saw it.

“By the time I saw the body a week ago, I had already heard people talking about it for about a week,” she said.

Another resident, Samuel Githinji, expressed relief after the body was finally retrieved.

“At least the body has finally been removed from the river,” he said.

Residents estimate that the girl, whose family and place of origin remain unknown, was between five and seven years old.

They observed that the body had significantly decomposed after remaining in the water for an extended period.

The residents expressed hope that the child's family, who may have been searching for her in agony, will be able to identify the body and find closure.

Police officers from Kasarani Police Station arrived at the scene on Thursday and retrieved the body.

Crime Scene Investigators also documented the scene with preliminary investigations showin that the girl may have been sexually assaulted, killed and later dumped in the river.

The body was removed to the City Mortuary, awaiting identification and post mortem as investigations into the incident continue.