Dredging activities are still ongoing in the Likoni Channel, a day after ODM leader Raila Odinga gave an order that the dredging ships suspend the activity with immediate effect.
On a video posted by Daily Nation on Sunday, October 6, ships could be seen going on with the activity, which Odinga had complained hampered the rescue efforts launched by the government in an attempt to recover the bodies of the ferry tragedy victims.
Odinga had on Saturday, September 5, rushed to the Likoni Ferry tragedy scene following failures to retrieve the wrecked car of a woman and daughter who died after their car plunged into the Indian Ocean.
He had visited the area to be briefed about the retrieval mission accompanied by Likoni MP Mishi Mboko where he gave the order for the activity to cease.
"I am ordering dredging works to stop immediately as they are interfering with the operations. The amount of debris emitted into the water affect the visibility under the water," the AU Envoy for Infrastructure commanded.
He had also called for patience as the rescue efforts went on, and exhorted the Kenya Ferry Service officials to ensure such occurrences are prevented in the future.
"Stringent measures must be put in place to ensure that such an incident does not occur again and we pray to God to grant strength to those affected. The entire nation is in mourning," he condoled with the deceased's family.
According to Coastal Oceans Research and Development (CORDIO) East Africa, dredging to deepen ports is a necessary activity in port/terminal construction and for regular maintenance due to in-filling of channels.
As a result of dredging (picking up bottom sediments into the ship) a material referred to as dredge spoil must be dumped at sea, which in turn affects visibility for those underwater.
The organization warned that dredging causes unavoidable damage to the seafloor and communities that the dredge spoil settles on.
