The Kenya Defense Forces Naval department is yet to start search for the bodies of two people who drowned in the India Ocean last week.

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Mrs Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu drowned at the dangerous Likoni channel but efforts to retrieve their bodies have slowed down.

On Monday, the government banned activities along the channel including dredging following an order by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The declaration banning the civilian, which includes even journalists was pronounced on Monday afternoon by the Kenya Ferry Services Chairman Dan Mwazo.

The area is now under the command of the naval and KFS bosses.

“The divers who have been hired by the family from Subsea company are here. The government has also hired three more from South Africa. We also have machines for the operations…They have therefore requested people to vacate this place so that it eases their operation,” said Mwazo.

But the government on Tuesday said Navy is yet to join the mission due to missing equipments that are yet to arrive in the country. However, private divers are ongoing with their mission.

The Naval department maintained that the visibility at the channel was poor thus the decision to order for special cameras which are yet to arrive in the country.

Col Lawrence Gituma, said in a press release on Sunday that the cameras would speed up the retrieval of bodies. 

“The ones we have are good, but we are getting more that are advanced, which will give us a better resolution,” he said.

KDF team has been under immense criticism from a section of members of the public who accuse the team of failing to help in time despite huge budget allocated to Defense ministry by the state.