Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya on Monday, December 26, banned all activities, including swimming along the beaches of the Indian Ocean, past 5:30 pm.
Speaking during the meeting with the multi-agency team at the Coast, Mvurya insisted that the measures were meant to strengthen the safety of the holidaymakers in the Indian ocean.
"Starting today at 5:30 pm, we do not expect to find anyone at the ocean seas. Those operating boats for various tourism activities and all other items used for transport should comply with the safety protocols," Mvurya announced.
"From today, even the life jackets will be inspected to ascertain if they meet the safety standards," the CS insisted.
Mvurya instructed relevant authorities to enforce the directive both at the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria to tame accident cases.
While announcing the crackdown on unworthy vessels, the former Kwale Governor insisted that the ministry was aware of some operators overloading their boats due to the high number of holidaymakers.
The ban follows a Christmas boat accident which left two people dead at Pirates Beach in Mombasa on Sunday, December 25.
According to Mombasa County Police Commander Stephen Matu, the two were part of the 15 family members who had boarded the boat when it capsized.
"We had an Asian family from Nairobi and were riding a boat just like other people at the beach and then the boat capsized," Mombasa Red Cross chairperson Mahmoud Noor stated.
"Eleven were rescued. Two adult females were rushed to the hospital together with two infants. Unfortunately one of the ladies passed on. later on, the body of a male member of the same family was discovered," he added.
Following the incident, Mombasa County Police Commander promised to deploy more officers to various facilities and even islands.
Matu further appealed to members of the public to exercise caution while having fun at different beaches along the Indian Ocean.
