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Joho ‘hires’ divers from South Africa to retrieve Likoni bodies


Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho now says he has sent for divers from South Africa to help retrieve the body of a woman and her four-year-old daughter who drowned in the Indian Ocean last Sunday.

Joho said the experts from South Africa will join local agencies already on the ground. His action comes days after of remaining mum about the tragedy at the Likoni ferry channel.

“I have sent for experts from South Africa to join efforts with multi agency teams that are working round the clock to retrieve the bodies,” tweeted Mr Joho.

BACKLASH

The governor faced backlash from his followers after his announcement with some doubting his intentions.

Earlier on, the Governor condoled with the family of the deceased. He asked them to be patient during the retrieval process due to the complexity of the mission.

The Mombasa governor also urged the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) to enhance safety measures and consider mounting movable barriers to secure cars that may develop mechanical problems.

The slow process of retrieving the bodies appeared to have forced the family to explore other avenues.

According to a source who spoke to Nairobi News, the family paid private divers to help retrieve the body of 35-year-old Mariam Kigenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu.

The family paid private divers after the government suspended recovery operation for the third day due to darkness.

The Kenya Ferry Services on Tuesday revealed that the two areas identified as the position where the car sunk are 60m deep.