This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, a car carrying Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu plunged into the Indian Ocean, sparking a massive rescue operation in Likoni. Four days later, the mission remained a daunting task, with heavy rainfall and poor planning hindering the efforts of the rescue team.
The Navy divers, trained to dive up to 30 meters deep, were tasked with locating the car at a depth of 60 meters. However, this posed a significant challenge, as the divers would need high-powered lighting to see clearly underwater, which becomes increasingly difficult past 10 meters.
Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna stated that due to the darkness of the depths, the team would rely on 'feel and touch' to locate and identify objects. This approach was criticized by marine scientists, who pointed out that using underwater vessels to aid in the search would be more effective.
Despite the challenges, the rescue team deployed technology, including robots, to aid in the search. However, by the time the search was called off, they had mapped over 12 points with no success, raising questions about the accuracy of their work.
The divers' oxygen tanks limited their depth to 33 meters, and any delay of more than 45 minutes underwater could cause permanent head damage. The targeted depth of 60 meters made the mission nearly impossible from the start.
Experts in deep-sea diving have pointed out that using specialized gas mixtures would be necessary to reach such great depths. In 1997, Tarek Omar successfully retrieved two bodies from the Blue Hole in Egypt using this method.
The undersea currents and constant ship and ferry traffic further complicated the search, making the rescue team's efforts seem futile. The use of local divers, who lacked the necessary gear and oxygen tanks, also raised questions about the team's preparedness.
As the country awaits another attempt to recover the bodies, several questions remain unanswered. Is the recovery team knowledgeable about the task expected of them? Why has this task become so complicated? Shouldn't experts be brought in to aid in the work?
Meanwhile, a Mombasa-based lobby plans to sue KFS management and the coxswain who operated the MV Harambee over the deaths of Ms Kighenda and her daughter.
