This archive report was first published on 7 October 2019.
Published on October 7, 2019, the Kenyan government has sought assistance from South Africa to aid in the retrieval of the bodies of Mariam Kigenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu, who tragically sank in the Indian Ocean last Sunday.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announced that South African divers will join the search operation, which has been hampered by heavy undercurrents, bad weather, and poor underwater visibility.
"We're here to tell Kenyans that all that needs to be done has been done and is being done right now," Macharia said during a press conference at the Likoni Channel. "We're collaborating with all partners, including experts from Sweden and South Africa, as well as the Kenyan navy."
The government has also secured funding from Japan to construct a cable-stayed bridge over the Likoni Channel, aimed at preventing such accidents in the future.
The bridge project was made possible after the Kenyan government signed an agreement with Japan following talks between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe at the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-VII).
