RELIEF FOR COAST COMMUTERS AS MV LIKONI RE-ENTERS SERVICE
(Posted 15th August 2015)
The return to service of MV Likoni, one of the larger ferries available to cross from the southern mainland to the island of Mombasa, was greeted with a combined sigh of relief by stressed commuters and tourism businesses alike.
When the ferry was taken to the dry dock in May this year to get an engine overhaul and undergo major maintenance was the shortfall in capacity causing often extensive queues, unnerving for tourists who have to catch a flight and equally unnerving for the locals when they get late to work, appointments and even school.
Kenya Ferry Service operates, when all are in working order, five ferries, the others besides MV Likoni being MV Kwale – of the same capacity of up to 1.500 passengers and up to 60 cars – while MV Kilindini and MV Harambee carry up to 1.400 passengers and up to 60 cars each. The smallest of the five ferries is MV Nyayo with a passenger capacity of up to 1.200 passengers and also up to 60 cars. On a ‘regular’ day do some 300.000 passengers and up to 6.000 cars cross the channel to and from Mombasa, making surface alternatives a long overdue option.
Locals at the coast, as well as tour companies are eagerly awaiting the completion of the bypass highway from the international airport directly to the South coast and the upgrade of the road from Kwale to the Mombasa to Nairobi Highway to avoid the time consuming transfer through the city of Mombasa and the channel crossing.
Work on the new highway has reportedly started and completion will take up to three years at least.
