This archive report was first published on 14 October 2019.
On September 29, 2019, a devastating tragedy occurred at the Likoni Ferry Channel in Kenya, claiming the lives of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu. Their husband and father, John Wambua, has spoken out about the incident, shedding light on the events leading up to the tragedy.
Wambua's wife, Mariam, was an experienced driver with over 10 years of driving experience. He believes that she would never have made a mistake to reverse out of the ferry midstream, where the car slid off and into the Indian Ocean waters.
'She has been driving for over 10 years, she is a very careful driver… I doubt it was her negligence, you saw the car, it was in parking gear, the handbrake was activated,' Wambua said in an interview.
Wambua recalls the last conversation he had with his wife before the tragedy, where she called to ask for money to pay for the ferry crossing. He told her where to find money inside the car, and just 10 minutes later, he received an alert that a car had sunk in the ocean waters.
As the investigation into the incident continues, Wambua hopes that the Kenya Ferry Services will take responsibility and fix whatever needs to be fixed to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
Despite promises made by the government to help him accord his loved ones a decent burial, Wambua is yet to receive any assistance. A post-mortem examination is set to be carried out on Monday at the Coast General Hospital before Mariam and Amanda are laid to rest.
