Father, Son and Colleague Perish in Septic Tank at Makindu Boys High School

Three people have lost their lives at Makindu Boys High School in Makueni County after drowning in a septic tank during what was meant to be routine maintenance work. The incident took place on May 28, 2026, and has sent shockwaves through the local community while raising urgent questions about workplace safety standards at Kenyan learning institutions.

According to investigators, the workers had been manually draining the school's septic tank when Maurice Mutia, 40, lost his footing and fell into the pit. Two colleagues — a father and his grown son — immediately rushed to pull him out, climbing into the tank in a desperate act of courage. Tragically, all three were overcome and drowned before rescuers could reach them in time.

The deceased have been identified as Sammy Nzau Kula, 63, his son Dennis Sammy Kula, 23, and Maurice Mutia, 40. The story of the Kulas has proven especially heartbreaking — an elderly father who entered a death trap to save a workmate, and a young son who followed him in without hesitation. Neither made it out alive. Two other workers who were present at the scene survived and were taken to a medical facility for treatment.

Emergency responders from the Makueni County Disaster Rescue Team were alerted and deployed to the school, where they worked to retrieve all three bodies from the septic tank. County officials confirmed the two surviving workers were receiving the necessary medical attention following the harrowing ordeal.

Authorities have since launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Central to the probe is the question of whether proper occupational safety procedures were in place before the work began, and whether the labourers had been equipped with the appropriate protective gear for such a hazardous job.

Safety experts have long flagged the deadly risks of confined-space work in Kenya. Septic tanks accumulate lethal gases — including methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide — that can render a person unconscious within seconds of exposure. The particular danger with these invisible fumes is that untrained bystanders who attempt rescues without breathing apparatus or proper ventilation face exactly the same fate as the original victim, which is precisely what unfolded at Makindu.

This tragedy is a stark reminder that no school maintenance contract is worth a human life, let alone three. Employers, school administrators, and county governments across Kenya must ensure that workers assigned to confined-space tasks are adequately trained, properly equipped, and never sent into hazardous environments without the right safeguards in place.