Four injured in Lamu as boat hits seawall

Four people were injured, one critically after an over speeding boat they were travelling in lost control and hit a seawall in Lamu.

The Monday evening accident occurred at the Mokowe Jetty. 

The boat christened MV Utawala belongs to the Lamu County Government and was ferrying two-county enforcement officers, a water department staff and the coxswain during the time of the accident.

Confirming the accident early Tuesday morning, Lamu County Disaster Response Team Leader, Abdulaziz Luqman said the boat was about to anchor at the Mokowe Customs Jetty when the vessel brake handle and steering suddenly developed a technical problem and failed to stop.

It hit the seawall and climbed.

All four occupants suffered head, chest and limb injuries and were rushed to the King Fahad County Referral hospital in Lamu Island for checkup and treatment.

"The boat had four occupants when the accident occurred at around 5 pm. There were two county enforcement officers, a water department staff and the coxswain. They were headed to the Mokowe County Headquarters from Lamu Town for a night shift when the accident occurred. The boat brakes and the steering system failed to function as the coxswain tried to navigate and stop the boat at the Jetty. It hit the seawall hard from the forepart," said Mr Luqman.

He said the water department staff suffered serious chest, head and limb injuries plus he had internal bleeding according to medics. 

"The critically injured water department staff member is currently admitted at King Fahad hospital receiving treatment. The other three escaped with minor injuries. They were treated and discharged immediately," said Mr Luqman.

Eyewitnesses, however, reported that the vessel was at high speed at the time of the accident, insisting that there was carelessness on the part of the coxswain.

"Even if there was a technical hitch, I believe the accident was partly due to carelessness on the part of the coxswain. You can't be nearing a jetty with the intention to anchor your vessel while maintaining that high speed. That is why the boat hit and even climbed the seawall. We thank God that there is no death," said Ali Omar, a jetty attendant at Mokowe.

Lamu County Boat Operators Chairperson Hassan Awadh called for caution among boat operators and encouraged them to conduct frequent servicing of their vessels to prevent such accidents.

"Let's service our vessels regularly and as required so that we don't have such accidents again. This is not just any other business but one that directly deals with human life," said Mr Awadh.

In February 2020, a woman died after an engine flywheel in the boat she had boarded with six others detached from its shaft and flew around, cutting them randomly.

The accident occurred at Tusitiri area along Wiyoni Beach in Lamu Town.

The deceased who sustained serious cuts to the rib area and the chest succumbed at the King Fahad facility where she had been rushed by good Samaritans after the accident.

In October 2019, three people escaped death narrowly after a passenger speed boat they were aboard and headed to Lamu Island from the Mokowe Jetty collided head-on with another speed boat that was heading to Mokowe from Lamu Island.

Much of Lamu's transport is by water with the region having a boat population of over 5, 000 vessels.