A grade six pupil from Kisii was Saturday electrocuted as she leaned on a balcony at an apartment in the Kasarani area, Nairobi.
Twelve-year-old Nelia Nyarinda Misati of Eronge Primary in Nyamira was visiting the city during the half-term period when the incident happened.
She died in the hospital while being attended to after the 7 pm incident, the family and police said.
The family lawyer Nyambega Mose said the girl had leaned on a metal balcony without knowing it had touched a live wire.
“The wires were loosely hanging and had touched the metal grill of the balcony which the girl touched before being electrocuted,” he said.
He added the family plans to sue for compensation.
“We understand such incidents are on the rise in this area and we blame developers and Kenya Power. We will pursue the matter to the end,” he said.
Police said they were called and informed of the incident after it had happened.
Officials from Kenya Power said they will join the probe into the incident and recommend the way forward.
Such incidents have been on the rise in the city.
There has been an increase in cases of electrocution in tandem with increased connectivity across the country.
Officials say poor wiring in customer premises contributed to 24 percent, illegal connections 16 per cent, structures and buildings near power lines 12 percent and deliberate acts contributed 11 percent.
The ten most affected counties are Nakuru, Nairobi Makueni, Kericho, Kisii, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu, Nyamira, Migori and Kiambu.
Officials are carrying out a public sensitization campaign to enhance awareness through partnerships with the mainstream media and NGAO across the country to pass the message that unsafe electricity can result in death.
In the 2018/19 financial there were 149, in 2019/20 financial year while in 2021 there were 93 deaths.
Officials say poor wiring at customer premises is the major concern adding that people use quacks during the construction.
KPLC wants contractors to access the KPLC website or approach the nearby offices to access qualified and registered electricians.
