Ferries are death-traps, report to Senate reveals

One of the five ferries on Likoni Channel. A report by Senate says the vessels do not satisfy safety requirements. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

All the five ferries operating across the Likoni Channel are unsafe, a report tabled before Senate has stated.

Documents tabled in the Senate indicate that MV Kilindini, MV Kwale, MV Nyayo, MV Harambee and MV Likoni do not meet international safety regulations.

The documents singled out MV Harambee for its rusty, dysfunctional ramps that lack safety mechanisms and contravene International Safety Management (ISM) regulations.

The report indicts Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) for operating three decommissioned ferries: MV Harambee, MV Nyayo and MV Kilindini, saying the three vessels are some of the country’s oldest ferries. They are second-hand vessels bought in 1990.

The report tabled by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, last week, says the five vessels are fraught with danger, putting the lives of more than 300,000 passengers and 6,000 motorists who ply the route every day at risk.

“I have it on record that the ramps commonly referred to as prows are not functioning,” Mutula told Senate on Wednesday.

His report comes a month after the death of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu whose car plunged into the ocean after it slipped from MV Harambee.

“It is now clear that had the ramp of MV Harambee been functioning properly, the death of Mariam and her daughter Amanda on September 29 could have been avoided,” said Mutula.

The senator called for investigations into KFS’s activities.

“This is a matter of national concern that should be taken up immediately and investigations conducted through the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) on the conduct of the management of KFS to establish the veracity of claims against it and to take legal action for the loss of the lives of Mariam and Amanda,” he said.

The ferry service has spent up to Sh600 million on repairs and maintenance of the vessels over the past three financial years. According to Mutula, African Marine Limited (AML) was single-sourced for the repairs.

According to Mutula, MV Harambee was rehabilitated at a cost of Sh157 million in the 2016-2017 financial year.

“I strongly suspect that the said amount of Sh157 million was misappropriated. This matter requires urgent investigations,” he said.

Mutula told the House that if MV Harambee was rehabilitated at the cost stated, an investigation must be conducted to find out where the scrap metal of the ferry went.

Mariam, 35, and her daughter Amanda, 4, died when their vehicle slipped from MV Harambee into the Indian Ocean as the ferry crossed the Likoni Channel.

Investigations underway

Investigations are under way and several employees of KFS who were in charge of the vessel on the day the tragedy happened have already been interrogated.

But according to Mutula, the accident could have been avoided.

“I received information that this incident was as a result of the sorry state of the five ferries operating on the Likoni Channel: MV Kwale, MV Nyayo, MV Kilindini, MV Harambee and MV Likoni,” he said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta fired the entire KFS board after the accident.

In a Kenya Gazette notice dated October 17, 2019, Uhuru invoked Section 7(3) of the State Corporations Act to dismiss KFS board chairman Dan Mwazo and board members Daula Omar, Naima Amir, Philip Ndolo and Rosina Nasigha Mruttu.