The Managing Director of the Kenya Ferry Service, Bakari Goa, has moved to clear the air over the recovery operation of the car that sunk in the Indian Ocean after an outcry from members of the public.
In a video posted by the Daily Nation on Thursday, September 30, Goa stated that the reason for the delay in the start of the recovery operation was because new details beyond their control had emerged.
He stated that the Kenya Ferry officials and members of the Kenya Navy had discovered that the vehicle had sunk below the earlier stated 60 meters which made it harder for it to be recovered as they had anticipated.
He also told the press that the facilities at their disposal could not point out where exactly the vehicle was, a factor that in his opinion, made it impossible and dangerous for them to begin the exercise.
He, however, made it clear that they had engaged a private firm that was on its way to begin the recovery process as soon as the sea became less turbulent.
The managing director acknowledged the dangers that the ferries pose by admitting that two of the ferries, MV Nyayo and MV Harambee, were prone to mechanical challenges as reported in the media, due to their advanced age.
Responding to a question by a journalist, Goa regretted that there would have been a chance to rescue the occupants of the vehicle if they had noted the accident immediately after it had happened.
He confessed that by the time they discovered the incident, there was nothing that could have done as any attempts to wade that far in the sea would have been too dangerous without the necessary equipment.
He further stated that his office had stopped the victim's families from going through with a plan to hire private individuals to conduct the recovery exercise given the risks that they would expose themselves to.
This, he claimed, was because the Kenya Navy had informed them about the technicalities of the exercise if it had been conducted by individuals who were not well versed in the rescue operations.
He also admitted that the Kenya Ferry does not have the facilities to stop any future eventualities such as the one that took place, stating that they rely on a private contractor to get their equipment.
