This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On October 2, 2019, a devastating incident occurred when a car carrying Mariam Kigenda, 35, and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu plunged into the Likoni Channel, Mombasa. The family has been waiting for over 80 hours for the recovery of their two bodies.
Government Spokesperson retired Col. Cyrus Oguna has called for patience, stating that due to poor visibility, robots are being used to locate the bodies. He explained that the divers are relying on touch and interpretation, with the robots directing them to potential locations.
According to Oguna, the recovery team has searched five locations without success and are yet to comb nine more. He also mentioned that other objects have been found besides the car, but the exact location of the vehicle remains unknown.
Col. Oguna's address to the media contradicted earlier statements made by the Managing Director of Kenya Ferry Services, Bakari Gowa, who claimed that the car had already been located. Private divers hired by the family also reported that they had not found the car or the bodies.
However, the leader of the private divers, Moses Sila, was initially threatened with being pulled out of the operation by police, who accused him of sabotaging the government. Fortunately, the decision was later rescinded, and Sila's team was allowed to continue the recovery mission in a joint search with the Kenya Navy.
The Managing Director of Haki Africa rights group, Hussein Khalid, expressed faith in the local divers, stating that they have a proven track record of retrieving bodies in such incidents.
