Kenyans’ fury after CS Macharia appoints his PS to lead Likoni body retrieval
Kenyans have reacted in shock after Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Wednesday said he had appointed his Principal Secretary Esther Koimet to lead efforts to retrieve the two bodies and vehicle involved in Indian Ocean tragedy last Sunday.
Mr Macharia said Ms Koimet would lead the multi-agency team that is battling to pull out the bodies of 35-year-old Mariam Kighenda and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Mutheu.
Many were left wondering why a PS would have to be appointed in the first place.
But according to Mr Macharia, the government had decided to take charge of the process in a bid to ease the pain that the Kighendas have going through.
The mother and daughter were in a white saloon car which was among the last ones to get into Mv Harambee from the mainland side of the channel on Sunday when it slid back from the vessel midway.
Videos circulated showed their saloon car floating half-way in the ocean before sinking within seconds amid screams from onlookers.
FERRY CHANNEL
Delays in retrieval of the two bodies has cast a spotlight on the poor state of disaster preparedness at the busy Likoni ferry channel.
Rampant safety and security lapses at the channel have also attracted anger from leaders and ordinary Kenyans who want officials of Kenya Ferry Services to be fired.
This is what Kenyans think of the appointment:
So koimet is the the diver we’ve been waiting for or the equipment they that have been lacking poor Kenyans who bewitched our leaders such that even on rescues we do appointments first .
— Santos (@Santos50525525) October 2, 2019
What is that even supposed to mean????
— Ezekiel Oranga (@EOranga) October 2, 2019
Hail the good government. 4 days after the calamity. That’s too swift.Congratulations
— Chief Priest??//?? (@Chief_Ezeulu) October 2, 2019
Really? Someone needs to be “appointed” for this?
— Fred Ndong’ (@ndongystyle) October 2, 2019
Yaani, this doesn’t qualify for his time, he has to delegate…. Weh
— Hwaikunu (@Hwaikunu) October 2, 2019
Gross incompetence, do we need a PS to be appointed for this task…..and yet days later?
— Dickson Marira (@dicksonmarira) October 2, 2019
The government now has a Task force with seating allowance, mombasa travel per diem to retrieve the bodies @PDUDelivery #KenyaMbele
— Solo ngatia (@ngats) October 2, 2019
Finally, ladies & gentlemen, we have our diver. Hongera bwana Cs. It’s been 3 days since the tragedy. We thank you for acting swiftly. Kenya is on the right track
— Japheth.Muuo (@JaphethMuuo_) October 2, 2019
@JamesMacharia_ just woke up from a deep slumber. Next a commission of inquiry and possibly a benchmarking trip on disaster management
— Nahashon Muigai (@jobransupplies) October 2, 2019
I thought PS Esther Koimett already knows what is expected to be done.
What’s the need of appointing someone in such a scenario?
Wasting time? Buying time? Or taking time?— Hon. Zia Beja (@ziamdbeja) October 2, 2019
That someone has to be appointed to lead the effort to retrieve bodies from the ocean (which in this case should be the job of KFS), and a PS at that, explains all you need to know about the sorry state of ??.
— Nathan Douglas Ngumi (@NathanNgumi) October 2, 2019
Is she the skilled diver we have all been waiting for?,and at what cost are we looking at interms of per diem?,,,i know she will keep a good distance from that ferry and channel of fear of the unknown.
— Bernard Babu (@Benalitho) October 2, 2019