Three Kilifi fishermen rescued after 22-day Indian Ocean ordeal, one missing

“Alhamdulillah!” Uttered Akida Iddi Mohamed, 29, severally, after stepping out of the Kenya Coast Guard Service ship, MV Doria.

He kept crying, wiping his tears, and praying in disbelief after somehow surviving the shark-infested waters for days without food.

Rescued by a Chinese vessel 

Mr Mohamed is among three of four Malindi-based fishermen who were rescued by a Chinese vessel after their boat capsized in November 2023 when they had gone on a fishing expedition.

Mohamed, a father of two, could not hold back his tears when he was received by a multi-agency team led by the KCGS and the Kenya Maritime Authority officials at the Liwatoni Jetty in Mombasa.

“I just want to go home and be reunited with my family. It was the most traumatising ordeal, I don’t know how we stayed alive for the 22 days,” he added.

He and his colleagues were then transferred by the Kenya Red Cross Society team to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital for medical checkups and counseling. 

The three distraught fishermen including Hans Baraka and Fahad Mohamed were received by the Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya in Mombasa.

Mr Mvurya said investigations into how the three ended up in a foreign fishing vessel have begun as a search for the fourth fisherman continues.

“We have received three among the four fishermen who got lost in the Indian Ocean 22 days ago. They are safe, but we are still searching for their colleague. I also want to praise our maritime security agencies and all the stakeholders who were involved in the rescue operations,” said Mr Mvurya.

Counseling and medical check-ups

He said the three will undergo counseling and medical check-ups to confirm their health status before they are reunited with their families.

Their families were also taken by the Kenya Red Cross Society for counseling.

“We are investigating this matter,” added CS Mvurya.

He cautioned stakeholders in marine affairs in the Indian Ocean, lakes, and rivers to be extra careful to avoid situations where vessels are drifting away from the shore.

Mr Mvurya said his Ministry will also enhance its resolve to continuously create awareness and empower coxswain to ensure they have basic safety measures as they venture into the sea.

KCGS Director General Bruno Shioso said on November 30, 2023, the agency received a report on the unknown whereabouts of four fishermen aboard a vessel Jodari.

Mr Shioso said the agency launched a seven-day search and rescue operation.

“Despite our dedicated efforts, we faced formidable weather conditions that unfortunately did not yield any positive outcomes. We collaborated with stakeholders and received news that the four missing fishermen had been rescued by a fishing vessel on December 24, 2023,” he said.

However, he said it was presumed that one life was lost.

Mr Shioso said Kenya’s KCGS Doria successfully recovered the three fishermen along with an outbound engine.

Mr Shioso assured family members that the agency was doing all that it could to recover the body.
He said the incident underscores the need for enhanced capabilities in search and rescue maritime law enforcement.

Annually, KCGS handles over 900 search and rescue cases with 62 percent occurring within the Coastal zone significantly impacting small fishing boats.

“In light of these challenges I emphasize the importance of acquiring additional vessels to bolster search and rescue undertakings and enhanced maritime law enforcement,” he added.

However, Mr Shioso said the upcoming full operational capability of our KCGS operational centre in June 2024 will further strengthen the agency’s capacity.