Woes marring the Likoni ferry tragedy increased after the private diver hired to rescue the deceased abandoned the family after he was suspended by the government.
NTV on Wednesday, October 2, reported that Musa Sila and his team were retracted from the operation after the government alleged that they were communicating false information to the family concerning the bodies of the mother and her daughter.
"Let me quit from this operation. I have nothing to say but to let everything go," Sila informed journalists at the scene of a tragedy that has exposed the sheer unpreparedness of the country's naval forces.
On Tuesday, October 2, The Standard reported that Sila, one of the founders of the Kenya Rescue Team, had complained of government pressures and not being appreciated for his heroic acts.
“They lied to us that they will station us at the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Ferry or Kenya Navy but nothing has been done. When incidents occur, they look for us.
“No one sponsors us; we conduct all the operations on our own,” Sila lamented.
Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho on Wednesday, October 2, brushed shoulders with his constituents after he showed up in Likoni to follow up on the ferry tragedy.
Governor Joho tried to address the crowd which had gathered at the scene but the angered residents could have none of it and shouted him down.
He further revealed that he had given Ksh2 million to the family to have experts from South Africa help retrieve the bodies of the drowned victims
"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," Joho tweeted.
The government on Wednesday, October 2, appointed former Minister Nicholas Biwott's daughter's to oversee the retrieval of the two bodies.
Government Spokesperson Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna also informed that the government had hired a robot to assist in the rescue operation.
Video courtesy of NTV.
