Celebrated Mombasa-based diver Musa Sila Owaga has claimed the government has been ignoring the rescuing services they have been offering Kenyans across the country.
Musa who is among the first founders of the private group of divers dubbed 'Kenya Rescue Team', who have also camped at the Likoni Ferry channel since Sunday, has said the government has never rewarded them regardless of the many rescue operations they have taken part in.
Sila who is based at Shelly-Likoni, a few metres from the Likoni channel where a car plunged into the Indian Ocean after it slid from MV Harambee on Sunday, was among the first divers who arrived at the scene after the accident.
However, the diver could not immediately swing into action, instead asked for a contract before he could do anything.
According to the diver who is highly rated at the Coast region for his diving skills, the government has been frustrating them with unmet promises after risking their lives in rescue operations.
“They lied to us that they will station us at the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Ferry or Kenya Navy but nothing has been done. When incidents occur, they look for us,” says Sila in an interview with the Standard.
He was among divers at Lake Nakuru in 2017 when a helicopter crashed into the lake. He revealed that they never receive any kind of sponsorship from the government.
He has, therefore, urged the government to consider training more divers and give them jobs instead of relying on the few available.
“There are so many young and unemployed people who are better divers than me. The government should train and employ them. When Musa dies, it should not be the end of rescuing operations,” he added.
Populary known as Musa among his peers, he has won a number of medals and international awards since he began his diving career, working as a seaman in Egypt before the government requested him to come back to Kenya in 2010.