Mariam Kighenda’s family to sue Kenya ferry after getting autopsy results
The family of Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu who drowned at the Likoni Ferry channel after their vehicle slipped off MV Harambee on September 29 now says it will sue Kenya Ferry Service limited following their kins’ deaths.
This as the autopsy on the bodies showed that they died as a result of suffocation due to drowning.
Family spokesman Luka Mbaati said the family will be seeking justice of their kins.
“We have seen the postmortem and as the doctor has indicated, they died as a result of suffocation due to drowning. From here we will continue with our plans for burial and we are definitely going to take legal action against Kenya ferry,” said Mbaati.
He said John Wambua, the husband of Kighenda had already recorded statement at the Likoni police station.
Chief government Pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor said postmortem conducted at Jocham hospital on Wednesday revealed the two died of asphyxia-lack of oxygen in the body.
“I can confirm to you that both of them died due to lack of oxygen in the body…so we have done due diligence and now we will hand over the case to the Police so that they can continue with their investigation,” the pathologist said after the autopsy that took one and a half hours.
According to Oduor both, Kighenda and her daughter died around the same time.
He, however, said following the long stay of the bodies in water, it is difficult to tell how long they stayed alive underwater before they died.
“The longer they stay in water the more inaccurate it because. So it difficult to tell how long they stayed before death… there were features of decomposition but given the fact that they were underwater the decomposition was not very advanced, it was a bit delayed… there were no injuries,” Oduor said.
Likoni DCI Charles Onyango said investigations onto the death of the two are still ongoing.
"We have not questioned KFS MD Bakari Gowa but we are planning to do so soon," he said.
Mbaati said burial arrangements have been ongoing and the deceased are scheduled to be laid to rest at Ngaamba area of Kilome Constituency in Makueni County on Saturday.
The bodies will be moved from the mortuary on Friday.
The bodies have been under police custody since their retrieval last Friday and the family has therefore had little authority over the bodies.
