This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
On October 3, 2019, the retrieval mission of the bodies of Mariam Kigenda and her daughter Amanda entered its fifth day with little progress. In a move to aid the bereaved family, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho rehired a private diver who had been previously banned from taking part in the search mission.
The diver, Musa Sila, had been hired by Mariam's family and paid a down payment of Ksh. 100,000 out of the possible amount of Ksh. 250,000. However, Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) had been accused of stalling in their efforts to retrieve the bodies.
According to reports, Musa Sila and his group of divers were stopped midstream by officers from the Kenya Navy and Kenya Ferry Services. The government officers accused Musa of divulging crucial information to the family and giving them false hopes, which they said had the potential to put the mission in jeopardy.
It's alleged that the agencies then put a ban on Musa, barring him from associating himself with the mission. Joho's decision to recall Musa's services came after the governor learned of the ban.
The rescue mission is reportedly being solely shouldered by the Mombasa County Government, with government agencies offering little effort due to supremacy wrangles.
