This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On October 2, 2019, a devastating incident occurred at the Likoni Ferry crossing in Kenya, where a woman and her daughter drowned in the Indian Ocean.
Mariam Kigenda's husband, John Wambua, was left to navigate a complex and frustrating process to recover the bodies of his wife and child.
According to Wambua, he was forced to pay Ksh250,000 to divers to help retrieve the bodies, which were trapped 60 meters underwater.
The delayed recovery response sparked outrage among lawmakers, who demanded that officials from Kenya Ferry, the Navy, and the Kenya Coast Guard be held responsible.
Managing Director of Kenya Ferry Services, Bakari Gowa, and Navy Commander Major General Franklin Mghalu were put on the spot for their teams' failure to respond in time.
The Kenya Coast Guard Director General, Brigadier Vincent Loonena, also faced criticism for his department's lack of preparedness for search and rescue operations.
As a result, operations at the Ferry Channel were suspended for three hours to allow divers to retrieve the bodies.
