Government Bans Swimming In Public Beaches Beyond 5:30PM

The government has banned all recreational activities along the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria beaches beyond 5:30pm. Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya on Monday also banned swimming of individuals who are drunk.

Speaking on Monday, December 26, Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya stated that the new move was adopted as a precautionary measure to prevent more deaths during this festive season.

“We will not allow anyone at the beach past 5:30 pm. This decision was reached after wide consultations with different stakeholders. We have also directed that all the boats operating in the ocean be inspected to ensure safety. We also want all of them to have safety gear such as floaters because we have realized that some have vests that even look like reflector jackets," CS Mvurya said.

He further warned that the officers will start a crackdown on unseaworthy boats, enforce proper use of life jackets and inspect the jackets standards. The CS spoke after touring Diani Beach in Kwale county where he was accompanied by top officials from the Kenya Maritime Authority including its chairman Hamisi Mwaguya.

The directive follows an incident at Pirates Beach in Mombasa where 11 family members were involved in a boat tragedy that left two dead. In the Sunday evening accident, the family lost two of their relatives, a man and a woman while one member is still in the Intensive Care Unit. According to the Mombasa Red Cross Chairperson Mahmoud Noor, the infants were aged between 3 and 5 months and are in stable condition.