An 8-year-old boy died on Saturday night during a mission to hunt for ducks and their eggs at a swamp in Icang’I village, Kirinyaga County.

The grade 3 pupil was in the company of his 3 friends who escaped death.

According to the residents of Icang'i village led by Michael Chomba the swamp has occupied two acres of land of Icang’i primary school playing ground.

“The swamp has been developing slowly and turned worse after heavy rainfall this year,” Chomba revealed.

Another resident, Samuel Gitari Kangangi, said the four children were seen by a man who was cutting grass for his livestock. They had fishing nets and ropes where they were throwing stones to the ducks that had evaded the swamp.

Gitari says the four were in the water, where the three managed to escape as the other drowned.

One of the boys said they had hit a duck with a stone until it dropped in the water.

They were on a mission to retrieve it and the eggs when they were overcome by the water.

“The children came all the way from Gathoge to hunt the ducks and this is not their first time.”

Mr Michael Chomba said residents had a difficult time retrieving the boy's body until a police officer from the Piai police post intervened. The boy's body was over 60 metres away from the swamp.

Residents are asking the area National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to act on the swamp that has occupied two acres of land. The school fenced it to avoid more deaths.

The body was taken to Kibugi funeral home as Mwea-east police commander Patrick Nyaanga said police have launched investigations.