Mororo boat tragedy: Two bodies recovered, 19 missing as rescue operations continue

The government suspended operations of private speed boats in the flooded Kona Punda area of Tana River County as two bodies were retrieved Monday after a boat capsized in Mororo, Tana River County, on Sunday.

There are fears more bodies are trapped in the flooded waters of River Tana as the search and rescue operations led by the Kenya Red Cross continues.

According to the Garissa Township Sub-County Deputy Commissioner Duncan Rono, 23 people have so far been rescued, six others have been reported missing and 13 were unaccounted for.

Rono said the incident occurred as a result of negligence by the members of the public who were risking crossing the flooded area after the government closed the road and declared it unsafe for pedestrians.

He announced the suspension of the operations of private boats and further stated that the government was pursuing the unlicensed boat owner who still remains at large.

"We have good leads on the boat owner suspected to be from Lamu County, he is on the run but we will apprehend him," Rono said.

He urged members of the public to be patient and suspend their travel plans to Garissa, Mombasa or Nairobi until the water level subsides.

Kona Punda tragedy: Kenya Redcross says 23 people were rescued last night, two bodies have so far been retrieved, 6 reported missing, and 12 are unreported missing. pic.twitter.com/Y2oL9D3mb7

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) April 29, 2024

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama termed the boat tragedy as unfortunate and urged members of the public to avoid putting their lives at risk.

He called for the apprehension of all who were operating the boat that he said was unlicensed by both Garissa and Tana River counties.

A mother awaiting news of her two daughters who are missing after the Mororo boat tragedy. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

"They are criminals driven by greed, they have no regard for the safety of the public. We call upon the government to immediately apprehend them," said Governor Nathif.

He also blamed the Kenya National Highway Authority for neglecting the section of the road that was destroyed by the El Nino rains.

"How come this road was not repaired for all that duration? Why put only sand when they know it can easily be swept away?" he posed.

Some of the submerged houses at Mororo in Tana River county. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

The governor also took a swipe at the national government and particularly the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) for negligence and not finding a lasting solution over the continuous release of the waters from the mega dams.

"These waters can be diverted with the creation of more other dams where they can release the waters without haphazardly letting it come to destroy people's lives," Nathif said.

He called for an urgent solution towards the constant issue of floods in the area.

At Mororo, where the tragedy occurred, hundreds of people were displaced after their houses were submerged by the river floods.

Displaced families are scattered along the Garissa -Nairobi highway since they could not flee to the nearby Madogo area due to the affected section of the road at Kona Punda.

A view of the Mororo IDPs on the Garissa -Nairobi highway. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

Area member of the county Assembly Mohamed Ali said families spent the night on the roadside with no shelter and food.

"We have nowhere to shelter at Mororo. The whole town is flooded with houses and institutions totally submerged," Mohamed said.

He appealed for urgent intervention and establishment of camps at the neighbouring Garissa Town that was already hosting Internally Displaced Persons from Garissa Town as well as Bakuyu and Ziwani residents of Tana River county.

One of the Mororo IDPs on the Garissa -Nairobi highway. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

Earlier in the day when The Eastleigh Voice visited the area, hundreds of travellers who were seemingly determined to travel to Nairobi were scrambling for transport.

Resolute travellers with huge suitcases were queuing to get the small boats and at times squeezing themselves in any available space, oblivious to the danger they were exposing themselves to.

Uniformed police officers were seen trying to control the swelling crowds as they scrambled to get into the boats.

Two private speed boats have been operating in the one-kilometre stretch making a killing by charging at least Sh1,000 per person.

Most of the time they were overloading passengers to maximise their profit.