•The deceased was reported missing by family members on Thursday evening after he failed to return home in Rasini village, Faza island from his venture.
•Lobster fishing requires high diving skills as the fisherperson has to dive deeper to set the traps and later retrieve the lobster by hand.
The decomposing body of a lobster fisherman who went missing in the Indian Ocean three days ago has been recovered.
The deceased was reported missing by family members on Thursday evening after he failed to return home in Rasini village, Faza island from his venture.
He is believed to have been overpowered by the rough tides being experienced in the Indian Ocean and drowned.
The body of Mbwana Badi was recovered on Saturday evening at Kwa Buku beach area in Faza island by a team of divers from the County Disaster Response and volunteer local divers.
Lobster fishing requires high diving skills as the fisherperson has to dive deeper to set the traps and later retrieve the lobster by hand.
The recovery was confirmed by the Lamu County Disaster Response Team leader Abdulaziz Luqman who said the body was recovered floating on the shores just around the same area the man had been last seen diving for lobsters.
He said the deceased was buried at the same beach his body was found according to religious and customary beliefs.
“It has been three days of combing the ocean for him and today, we found him though he was dead,” Luqman said.
Following the incident, the Lamu Fishermen and Sailors organisation has called upon the county and national governments to form a special board to look into and address the ever-growing number of marine disasters in the county.
The region does not have a defined mechanism to prevent or address such disasters.
Hundreds have lost their lives in the Lamu Indian Ocean waters in what many believe to have been preventable accidents.
The group spokesperson Mohamed Ali said there is a need for an active diving squad fully armed with diving suits, high-powered boats and constantly patrolling the ocean to help save lives during marine accidents.
“Lamu is not ready to handle marine accidents. The local divers here are doing their best but it is not enough. They need reinforcements and other logistical support,” he said.
They also said the lack of buoys and navigation lights on key channels on the Indian Ocean is among the major causes of marine accidents in the region.
They called upon the Kenya Maritime Authority to do its due diligence by ensuring the right necessities are in place to ensure safe navigation.
Last week, the county meteorological office issued a warning to all sailors and fishers of the extreme tides and winds currently being experienced at the sea since the beginning of February and which pose a great danger to navigation.
On Wednesday last week, three fishermen who had gone missing at sea were found safe at Shanga-Rubu island in Lamu East.
Aboud Obbo, Mohamed Obbo and Aboud Mzee survived by swimming for over eight hours after their boat capsized before they were rescued by rangers from the Pate Marine Community Conservancy (PMCC) at around 5.30 pm
Edited by Kiilu Damaris