A section of women legislators has threatened to camp at Likoni Channel during Mashujaa Day celebrations if bodies of a mother and daughter who drowned in the Indian Ocean will not have been retrieved.
The leaders allied to Jubilee Party’s Inua Mama faction on Friday criticised the government for taking too long to retrieve bodies of Miriam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu days after their car plunged into the ocean.
Led by Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa, Nakuru Woman Representative Susan Kihika and Kandara MP Alice Wahome, the lawmakers accused state agencies of laxity, terming the incident a shame to the whole nation.
The MPs said it was meaningless for Kenyans to attend Mashujaa Day celebrations if the bodies will not have been retrieved.
Jumwa, speaking at Kandara and Maragua constituencies where the group donated equipment to various women groups, said Mashuja Day celebrations should be halted to give the country chance to mourn the mother and her daughter.
She said it will be embarrassing for a national celebration to be held at Mombasa, as the county mourns the death of the two Kenyans.
“If the bodies will not have been retrieved, I will lead women from all corners of the nation at Likoni Ferry during Mashujaa Day to mourn the death of mother [Kighenda] and her daughter,” said Ms Jumwa.
Jumwa asked the President to sack officials of Kenya Ferry Services for failing to put in place measures to protect lives of people using their services.
“Mr. President, fly to Mombasa and sack those in charge of Coast Guard and Kenya Ferry Services for their ineffectiveness,” she added.
Nakuru Woman Rep Kihika said that that last year she lost two staff members at Lake Nakuru when the helicopter they were flying in crashed into the lake.
Bodies of the two victims, the legislator said have never been retrieved.
Kihika hit out at Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho for having done nothing, despite their dockets being responsible for addressing disasters.
“It’s shameful that we have not done anything to address systems to retrieve bodies. My two crew have not been traced up to date,” said Kihika.
