Three out of four fishermen who were lost at sea for more than 22 days were on Thursday officially received by the government at the Mbaraki Wharf in Mombasa.
This was after a successful search and rescue mission mounted by the Kenya Coast Guard Services working closely with a Chinese vessel on December 24.
Mining, Blue economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya alongside the Kenya Coast Guard Services director general Bruno Shioso were on hand to receive the three as they lauded the maritime security forces for the spirited efforts to rescue the three.
Unfortunately one of the fishermen is believed to have lost his life after drowning.
“I want to confirm to Kenyans that we have officially received the three fishermen who were rescued after getting lost at sea for over 22 days. Search and rescue is still going for the missing one,” Mvurya said.
Mvurya lauded the efforts by the Kenya Maritime security forces as he said that the government had opened investigations over the incident.
“I know it has not been easy for 22 days, but finally we are here. We want to thank God that the three are here with us now,” he said.
“The operation has been successful because of the cooperation of the different security arm and arms of government. This is the way to go, and congratulations to the teams,” he said.
The three rescued fishermen traumatized by the ordeal, were received by the Kenya Red Cross officers in Mombasa who gave them first aid and cancelling before they were driven to the hospital where they will continue to be treated and monitored before they are re-united with their families.
CS Mvurya urged the media to give the three time to recover and come to terms with what had transpired before exposing them to media interviews.
“Let them recover and then you can find time later and interview them. We want them to receive treatment and be properly counselled so that they can come to terms with what traumatic ordeal they went through,” Mvurya said.
He at the same time urged stakeholders setting out to the sea, lakes and rivers to be extra cautious to avoid cases of vessels drifting offshore.
The government, he said, shall continue creating awareness and empower coxswains so that as the set offshore they have some basic training on search and rescue.
The four fishermen from Malindi set off for a fishing expedition in November, before encountering stormy waters making them get lost.
Report reached the Kenya Coast Guard Services on November 30 and search and rescue mission begun immediately.
“We received an overdue report of the four fishermen aboard the vessel Jodari, we ensued a seven-day search and rescue mission which faced a lot of challenges,” Shioso said.
“However our commitment to resolving the situation persisted utilizing all available marine tools and collaboration with stakeholders. We received news on December 25 that the four had been rescued by a Chinese vessel on December 24.”
He said that they reached out to the China Overseas Fisheries Association on December 26 to confirm the rescue of the three before the KCGS Doria flagship vessel successfully went to recover them along with one outboard engine.
This incident, Shioso said, underscores the need for enhanced capabilities in search and rescue maritime law enforcement.
Annually, the Kenya Coast Guard Services handles about 900 such and rescue cases with 62 per cent occurring along the coastal zone impacting small fishing vessels.
“I emphasize the need to acquire more rescue vessels to bolster search and rescue undertakings and enhance maritime law enforcement,” Shioso said.
“The upcoming full operation capabilities of our KCSG center in June 2024 will further strengthen our capacity.”
Other officials present to welcome the fishermen included Mombasa county commissioner Abdirasak Jaldesa, Kenya Maritime Authority board chair Hamisi Mwaguya and his director general Engineer Martin Dzombo.
