A warrant of arrest has been issued for a police officer linked to the 2019 Likoni ferry disaster. This follows the officer’s failure to appear in court on Thursday, July 24, to explain how CCTV footage related to the incident was handled.
The case revolves around the deaths of Mariam Kigenda and her four-year-old daughter, Amanda Mutheu, who drowned after their car slipped off a ferry into the Indian Ocean.
The inquest has faced serious criticism, especially concerning how the evidence was stored and shared, which has made it difficult for investigators to get the full truth.
Prosecutors believe the officer in question played a key role in the mishandling of the CCTV footage, which could have helped uncover the exact circumstances leading to the deaths. Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku issued the arrest warrant, saying the officer was a major person of interest.
The court heard that the footage was returned to Kenya Ferry Services without following the proper chain of custody. This has raised suspicions of tampering or manipulation. Instead of handing over the original, full footage, the officer allegedly gave back a fragmented version.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has also confirmed that the video presented in court was incomplete and did not show the full sequence of events.
A Chief Inspector confirmed that the footage was divided into three parts and was still with Kenya Ferry Services. The prosecution described the incomplete footage as a setback to justice, and even accused it of obstructing the investigation.
A DCI officer also confirmed that the officer responsible for the footage was expected to preserve the full, unedited copy for legal review but failed to do so.
His decision to return it without court approval was described as a violation of the law.
Both Kenya Ferry Services and the Kenya Ports Authority supported the prosecution’s move to take further action.
They asked the court to compel the officer to provide a sworn statement explaining how the footage was handed over.
They also requested that the court force him to confirm whether any changes were made during the process. Just a week before this, the court had already summoned the KFS CEO, the head of the Likoni DCI office, and a senior investigating officer to appear in court on the same date.
Since the tragic accident, more details have come out. In 2022, two officers from KFS admitted that the ferry had problems.
One KFS engineer even told the court that the prow of the ferry was damaged and that this flaw had affected its ability to float properly.
This supports earlier claims that the ferry was not fit for operation at the time of the accident, raising more questions about accountability and the role of key officers in covering up the truth.
