This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On October 11, 2019, a multi-agency team successfully recovered the bodies of Mariam Kighenda, 35, and her 4-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu, who had drowned in the Likoni Channel 13 days earlier.
The tragic incident occurred on September 29, when the vehicle they were in slipped off the MV Harambee ferry and sank into the Indian Ocean.
On the day of the recovery, the operation began at 7:30 am, with government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna briefing the media at 9:11 am. He expressed hope that the process would be completed before the end of the day.
Normal ferry services continued at the Likoni Channel, with ships entering and exiting the port while avoiding the area where the recovery operation was taking place.
At 11:20 am, two divers from the SubSeas company emerged from the water, and at 11:40 am, the Kenya Red Cross prepared three body bags in anticipation of the completion of the retrieval exercise.
Close relatives of the victims, including Ms. Kighenda's husband, were allowed to approach the Mbaraki Wharf at 12:00 pm, after being asked to stay away from the scene the previous day due to chaos.
A huge crane from Southern Engineering Company (SECO) arrived at the scene at 12:30 pm, suspected to be the one that would lift the bodies from the shore.
At 2:30 pm, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and Mvita MP Abdulswamad Sherrif arrived at Mbaraki Wharf to condole with the family.
After a series of efforts, the vehicle was finally pulled out of the water at 4:00 pm, bringing an end to the 13-day search.
