KMA distance itself from ferry tragedy that killed woman and daughter
The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) has distanced itself from the ferry tragedy that killed a woman and her four-year-old daughter at the Likoni Channel on September 29, 2019.
Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu died after their vehicle slipped from MV Harambee ferry and plunged into the Indian Ocean less than seven minutes into the journey.
According to court papers, KMA had identified faulty on the vessel and advised the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) to correct them before it resumes operations.
“It was the responsibility of KFS to ensure passenger safety of the vessel before use,” said former KMA Director General George Nyamoko while appearing before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku.
The tragic death of two has been blamed on a faulty prow, the front part of a boat or ship, on the MV Harambee ferry.
KFS senior officials who said that the faulty prow failed to provide buoyancy for the vessel during the loading of vehicles and passengers hence leading to Kighenda’s car plunging into the Indian ocean.
“I cannot say that MV Harambee was in good condition. Its prows could not be lifted. They were just set above the water level,” revealed Kennedy Mukhebu, a KFS engineer.
Mukhebu confirmed that he was on the trip when Kighenda’s vehicle slipped off the ferry as he appeared before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku on June.
The engineer further dismissed reports that the accident was caused by ocean turbulence citing a list of defects in the ferry he presented to the management as evidence of the faulty ferry.
KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa also blamed a lack of funds as main reason why the management failed to repair MV Harambee.
“As much as general operations of the KFS is my responsibility, my hands are tied if there are no funds. It is the engineering unit that is responsible but I take responsibility for the operations within the facility,” said Gowa.
When asked why there has been numerous ferry incidents in the last decade, Gowa defended himself by stating that previous management had failed to deal with the challenges affecting KFS before he took over.
