This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On October 11, 2019, the Likoni Ferry tragedy entered its 13th day, with the family of the deceased still waiting for the recovery of their loved ones.
Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna had earlier promised that the bodies and the car would be retrieved from the seabed, but the operation has stalled.
A team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Kenya Maritime Authority has been taking statements from top Kenya Ferry Services officials to establish any criminal culpability.
Reports indicate that investigators have narrowed their scope to four top ferry officials, who they want charged for murder and criminal negligence.
According to the bereaved family, the South African divers hired by the family to assist the recovery left on Wednesday evening, after accomplishing the task of locating the wreckage and corpses.
The private divers were displeased by a statement on Wednesday that declared the recovery effort an exclusive Kenya Navy affair without acknowledging the role by the South Africans.
Two other groups of private divers left the recovery efforts after allegedly disagreeing with the Kenya Navy and other State officers.
Yesterday, retrieval exercise was undertaken by the Kenya Navy, Kenya Ports Authority, and experts from a Mombasa-based maritime firm - Southern Engineering Company (SECO) that provided the barge that was used to secure a crane and pulleys that were to be used to extract the wreckage from the seabed.
However, the recovery teams are having difficulties in bringing the wreck to the surface due to lack of adequate oxygen, according to independent sources.
"It is very frustrating for us as a family. We do not know what is happening. It is taking too long but we have no other option other than to wait," said a grieving widower, John Wambua.
