A baptism ceremony in Kilifi turned tragic after a young woman lost her life while being immersed in the Indian Ocean.
According to police reports, a pastor had gathered 24 congregants at the Kijipwa area in Pope, Kilifi County, on Wednesday, August 20, for the baptism service. Nearly half of the group had already been baptized when the unfortunate incident occurred.
The victim, identified as 27-year-old Loice Kahindi Charo, reportedly began convulsing and experiencing difficulty in breathing shortly after being immersed in the water. The pastor, along with other church members, moved her to the shore, where they continued praying for her, believing her condition was a spiritual manifestation.
Witnesses revealed that the group failed to administer first aid, mistaking her distress for a religious experience. As her condition deteriorated, she was eventually rushed to a nearby hospital in Vipingo, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Police officers who later visited the scene confirmed the incident and launched an investigation. They interrogated the pastors and other witnesses present during the baptism to establish the circumstances surrounding Loice’s death. Her body was transferred to a local mortuary, awaiting autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
Meanwhile, in Nairobi, unrelated tragic incidents were also reported. In Lindi, Kibera, a woman died in a fire accident that destroyed her house. She managed to save her child but succumbed to smoke inhalation. Efforts to save her at the hospital were unsuccessful, leaving her husband to face the devastating news upon his return home. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.
Elsewhere in Westlands, the body of a 40-year-old man, Gabriel Omondi, was discovered along Back Street Lane. Authorities stated that the cause of his death remains unknown, and his body was moved to the mortuary for further examination.
In Donholm along Outering Road, another unidentified man, believed to be in his thirties, was also found dead. Investigators are yet to establish the cause of death.
In a separate case in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi, a disagreement among members of a street family over money escalated into violence. One of them, Allan Maleko Makosi, was stabbed in the thigh during the fight and later died in hospital. Police are pursuing the suspect who fled the scene.
