Unsung hero who spotted debris of helicopter that crashed at Lake Nakuru

Moses Owaga, 50, during the search mission at Lake Nakuru. [Mercy Kahenda, Standard]

Unfazed by lurking danger, 50-year-old Moses Owaga has waded into countless water bodies in the country, no matter how deep or murky.

His life mission is to recover the bodies of victims of drowning.

For the past five weeks, Mr Owaga has been waking up as early as 5am to prepare for what has turned out to be one of the longest search missions of his career - recovering the remaining two bodies of passengers of a helicopter crash from the murky waters of Lake Nakuru.

The helicopter crashed into the lake a few minutes after take-off on the morning of October 21 with five people on board.

Long search

Two bodies - the pilot and one passenger - were recovered on October 24 and buried. The third body was recovered last week.

The location of two others remains a mystery; one that Owaga is determined to help solve with his diving skills.

The long search has entered its fifth week but he is not about to give up. Last week, he helped locate the wreckage of the chopper after weeks of diving into the polluted lake waters.

The repeated diving during this mission is already taking a toll on his health, but not his determination.

“I am not well but I need to give my team morale,” said Owaga as he put on his diving gear on the shores of the lake in preparation for another dive.

“What picture would I paint (if I gave up now) for the desperate families who have been waiting anxiously for the bodies of their loved ones?”

So who is this man Owaga?

Born and raised in Mtongwe, Mombasa County, he began to dive at the tender age of 10 years, honing his skills in the  Indian Ocean’s salty waters. He later joined a team of seamen and was able to sharpen his diving and rescue skills.

Moved by the number of drowning cases in the ocean, Owaga and 24 other divers established Kenya Rescue Divers 15 years ago. The Mtongwe Ferry disaster of April 29, 1994, in which 271 people died, was one event that triggered the eventual formation of the search group.

“The number of people who drown in the Coast region is not acceptable. This is what inspired me to establish a rescue team to help save lives and retrieve bodies,” he said.

Over the last 15 years, the team has been on call every time a search and rescue operation is required in water bodies across the country. When the helicopter crashed in Lake Nakuru, someone placed a call to them.

Anxious families

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko offered to transport the team from Mombasa to Nakuru to join in the search mission.

Owaga and his team have been working with the Kenya Navy and Kenya Lifesavers to comb the lake, driven by anxious families who have been camping on the shores.

He says search and rescue diving is not a job but a calling inspired by grieving families. For his dedication and passion, he has earned international acclaim.

On November 22 last year, Owaga received the Royal Medal of Merit from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. He described this as the most memorable moment in his diving history.

In 2009, he received the Silver Star medal from (former) President Mwai Kibaki. And in 2010, the International Life Saving Federation awarded him the International Rescue Medal.

Among his most successful missions was rescuing the driver of a trailer that plunged into the Likoni channel crossing in Mombasa.

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