This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
Likoni Ferry Accidents: Mijikenda Elders Blame Abandoned Rituals ¶
Published on October 5, 2019
Residents of Likoni, a coastal area in Kenya, have been left reeling after a series of mysterious accidents involving the ferry that connects the mainland to Mombasa Island. The accidents have resulted in the loss of several lives, and many are left wondering what could be causing these tragedies.
According to Mijikenda elders, the dominant community in the area, the accidents are a result of abandoned rituals to appease the ocean spirits. The elders claim that the ocean has its own spirits, which must be appeased from time to time to prevent calamities.
One of the elders, Hassan Ali, explained that in the past, the community would perform rituals to appease the spirits, including sacrificing a cow or several goats. The blood from the sacrifice would be poured into the ocean, and the elders would chant incantations to appease the spirits.
Ali warned that failure to perform these rituals would result in accidents and calamities. He claimed that the spirits feed on blood from time to time and that if they do not get the blood, they will demand sacrifices by causing accidents in the ferry channel to get blood.
Another elder, Yusufu Said, witnessed the aftermath of the 1994 MV Mtongwe Ferry accident, which killed over 250 people. Said claimed that those who survived the accident saw a mysterious 'buibui clad woman' who appeared and stood in the middle of the ocean as they battled for survival.
He also claimed that the bodies recovered from the accident had no blood, which was very strange even though some had been eaten by sharks. The elder advised that a cow or several goats could have been sacrificed then to avert the tragedy from reoccurring.
Another elder, who spoke to TUKO.co.ke on condition of anonymity, claimed that even the workers at the Kenya Ferry Services, especially the Mijikendas, know what is supposed to be done to avert the ferry tragedies. He advised that a cow or several goats ought to be sacrificed to avert the tragedy from reoccurring.
However, Ahmed Nasser, another elder, suggested that a sacrificial ritual has to be performed by elders to appease the ancestors who would then release the bodies by pushing them off shore or allow them to float.
He claimed that so many things happen during the voyage and at some point, ferries just stall mid-ocean for hours causing panic among those on board. Nasser stated that many complain that it is because the ferries are old but in the real sense, that might not be the case.
He claimed that in the past, elders were consulted and after special rituals were performed, the ferries would begin to sail smoothly once again.
