President Kenyatta condoles with family of Likoni ferry victims

Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu. Their bodies were retrieved from the Indian Ocean on October 10, 2019. PHOTO | COURTESY

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday joined the nation in mourning the tragic death of Mariam Kighenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu who drowned in the Indian Ocean.

The bodies of the victims were retrieved Friday evening 13 days after their vehicle plunged into the ocean.

President Kenyatta sent a message of condolences to the family of the victims with promise that the government will put measures to ensure such an incident does will not happen in future.

In a statement, Mr Kenyatta expressed his regrets over the unfortunate incident and assured the bereaved family government’s support as they plan for the burial of the deceased.

“Besides the ongoing revamp of ferry services, the President notes that the proposed Likoni Gate Bridge, the ongoing construction of the Dongo Kundu by-pass as well as the completion of the Samburu-Kinango-Kwale road will help ease the pressure on sea crossing between Mombasa Island and the South Coast,” read part of the statement.

In his statement, the President expressed gratitude to the multi-agency team that was involved in the search and recovery mission.

“The President, who has closely followed the search and retrieval exercise over the last 13 days, commends the multi-agency team for their relentless efforts in ensuring the long, tedious and risky undertaking was a success," the statement said.