Two people who died in a boat accident in Watamu, Kilifi County were buried today in a Muslim cemetery in that area.
The two, a mother and her grandson, died after the boat carrying 29 people, including foreign tourists, capsized due to strong waves about 200 meters from the Garoda beach.
According to Watamu’s representative, Ibrahim Matumbo, three bodies were recovered but the body of a 10-year-old child is still missing.
Matumbo, who attended the funerals, said that two adults and two children died in the accident and he called on the national and county governments to invest in disaster management.
Two people who were seriously injured, including an Italian woman and a 13-year-old child, are still receiving treatment at the Malindi District Hospital.
Residents who conduct their business at the coast in that area have called on the government to invest in disaster management, which lacks quick response when disasters occur.
Abdi Sosi and Karisa Shombo, who were blamed for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for failing to act promptly when the accident occurred, added that lives would not have been lost if the service was quick to respond.
The Deputy Governor of Kilifi County, Florah Chibule, visited the scene and also consoled the affected families and assured that the government would introduce disaster management training in all schools in the county.
The Minister of Disaster Management in the county, Felkin Ndena, said that his department would take charge of the four newly acquired boats for use in disaster management matters.
The representative of the Shela area, Twahir Abdulkarim, called on the wildlife service to be responsible in its work and not to overlook that Malindi and Watamu areas contribute a lot of money due to tourism.