Kenyan student drowns in Australia while swimming with friends

A Kenyan student identified as Sharon kigen reportedly drowned during a swimming excursion with friends in Australia at Simmos Beach. She was a student at Australian Catholic University-North Sydney.

Sharon Jepkosgei Kigen, who was still new in the country after arriving in Australia in November 2022, drowned at Sydney’s south-west on Tuesday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to Georges River at Macquarie Fields after she failed to resurface when swimming. Efforts from the emergency team to resuscitate her failed.

Her family is appealing for financial assistance to repatriate her body to Kenya for burial.

This is the second incident in less than six months of a Kenyan drowning abroad.

In August last year, another Kenyan, Hellen Nyabuto, died while swimming in Canada.