Bodies from Nzoia boat mishap victims recovered

The bodies of nine people who drowned in River Nzoia last Saturday have been retrieved.

The ill-fated boat, which was overloaded, was carrying 18 passengers, two motorbikes, six bicycles and five sacks of maize.

The boat was headed for Mau Mau from Port Victoria shopping centre.

Leaders who visited the scene to condole the affected families, appealed to the Bunyala Subcounty Disaster Management Committee to ensure the safety of people using boats while crossing the river.

The rescue operation was carried out by marine officers in collaboration with the Kenya Red Cross team.

A team comprising Port Victoria Marine police, fisheries officers and local divers were also involved in the search.

Rescue team leader Stephen Osogo said the body of a middle-aged girl was recovered at Sango Delta, close to where the second body was retrieved on Monday.

Busia Governor Sospeter Ojamoong says his administration will meet the burial expenses of all the nine people who lost their lives in a boat tragedy in River Nzoia in Bunyala subcounty last weekend.

The pledge is a relief to the families who lost their loved ones.

Deputy Governor Kizito Wangalwa made the announcement when he visited the affected families in Bunyala yesterday.

The families had been camping at the scene for the past one week.

Wangalwa said Busia government will pay the mortuary fee for all the victims, the cost of all the nine coffins, and all the other expenses that will be forwarded to the government through the Bunyala subcounty deputy commissioner Joseph Magoha.

Wangalwa asked the families to hold a joint prayer meeting for the nine bodies.

He gave them a personal donation of Sh20,000.

He said he agreed with Ojamoong's decision to fund the construction of a bridge at Sigiri to reduce accidents.

Saturday 6 September 2014

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