Siblings Ken Barasa Okomol and his sister, Cynthia Barasa who died in the tragedy./HANDOUTThe identities of the two people who died after a boat capsized in the Indian Ocean in Nyali, Mombasa, have been revealed.
The two, a man and his sister, were on a weekend boat trip meant to offer a break from the pressures of the campaign trail.
The trip ended in heartbreak for the Busia family after Ken Barasa Okomol, who was seeking the Malaba South Member of County Assembly (MCA) ticket, and his sister, Cynthia Barasa, a newly graduated lawyer, drowned at the weekend.
The pair, aged 38 and 33, respectively, were among seven people aboard a vessel named MV Blue Pineapple, which had set off for Fort Jesus early Saturday afternoon.
Survivors said trouble began on the return journey when the boat encountered rough waters near the channel entrance close to Tudor Creek and capsized.
A fellow passenger managed to reach the shore and alert responders, triggering a joint operation involving the Kenya Coast Guard, Kenya Navy, National Police Service and Kenya Wildlife Service.
Five people, including the boat’s captain, survived and were taken to Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, where doctors said they were in stable condition.
For Okomol and his sister, however, the outcome was tragic. Despite an overnight search, the two could not be rescued in time. Their bodies were recovered near Nyali Beach the following day, not far from the site of the accident, police said.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir visited the survivors at the hospital and offered condolences to the bereaved families and directed the Kenya Maritime Authority to conduct snap inspections of boats used to ferry members of the public along the Coast, including checks on vessel condition and onboard safety equipment.
In Busia, the loss of Okomol, a political aspirant, alongside his sister, has left a gap in a community that had been closely following his campaign.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya mourned the two, revealing that Cynthia Barasa was among the beneficiaries of the NG CDF Special Sponsorship Programme.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Cynthia Atieno Barasa and her brother, Ken Okomol, an aspiring MCA for Malaba South Ward, following a tragic boat accident while on vacation in Mombasa yesterday,” Kaunya said.
“Cynthia was a beneficiary of our NG CDF Special Sponsorship Programme, through which she graduated with a law degree. She had a promising future ahead of her, particularly in her chosen career in law.”
Kaunya described their deaths as a major blow to the community and conveyed his condolences to the family and friends, promising to support them through the heartbreaking loss.
Such incidents have in the past days been on the rise amid calls on the boat riders to be cautious and time their activities to avoid them.
Meanwhile, a 14-year-old Grade 8 pupil drowned in Lake Baringo while swimming alone in Akorian Sub-Location, Bartum Location, Marigat Sub-County.
The incident occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at around 1:40 p.m, police said.The deceased was a pupil at Ngenyin Comprehensive School.
Police said the boy was swimming alone when he was overpowered by the lake’s currents and drowned.
Police proceeded to the scene, where Coast Guard personnel later retrieved the boy’s body.
The body was moved to Baringo County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where it is being preserved pending autopsy.
Police and the Coast Guards have urged members
of the public, particularly children, to exercise caution around the lake and
avoid swimming in unsafe conditions.
