Delays in resuming Mtongwe ferry services leave residents suffering

Salim Omar wakes at 5 am to face his daily nightmare of crossing the Likoni channel by a ferry that connects Mombasa Island to the mainland.

He spends over two hours travelling between his house in Mtongwe and his workplace in Mombasa.

This had not always been the situation. Things changed when Mtongwe ferry services were suspended over three years ago.

“If the Mtongwe ferry crossing channel was operational, I would wake up at 8 am, and within an hour I would be at my workplace in Mombasa,” Omar says.

Salim is not alone. About 300,000 other people using the Likoni crossing channel face similar challenges every day.

The congestion at the Likoni crossing channel has forced thousands of ferry users to adjust their daily schedules.

The ferry at the Mtongwe channel used to operate from 5 am to 10 am before taking a break and resuming operations from 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

However, the ferry services were suspended in 2019 to allow for the repair of pontoons, pillars, and gangways on both sides of the channel at Sh28 million.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir and Likoni MP Mishi Mboko during the resumption of Mtongwe ferry services in 2022. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

The Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) had planned to put up ramps at Sh600 million to allow vehicles to use the channel, which is only used by pedestrians.

Wait continues

The Island-side pontoon was swept away by waves from the Indian Ocean, leading to a temporary suspension of the ferry services.

This was just three months after former President Uhuru Kenyatta relaunched the ferry services in 2017, following a five-year hiatus caused by the decommissioning of two old ferries due to safety concerns.

The Mtongwe ferry was expected to resume its services in June 2022 but this is yet to happen.

Former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani had informed a parliamentary committee that the facility was to be handed over to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) by early June 2022.

But as the country marks 33 years since an overloaded ferry sank in Mtongwe, killing 272 out of the 400 people on board, residents say little has been done to ensure safety, even as they await the resumption of ferry services.

Residents of Mtongwe depend heavily on the ferry which connects them to Mombasa island. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

On April 29, 1994, the MV Mtongwe ferry, bound for Mombasa Island, capsized just 40 metres from the port. It had a capacity of 300 passengers.

“As residents of Mtongwe, our livelihoods depend heavily on this ferry, which connects us to Mombasa island. With most of us earning low incomes, we cross to Mombasa island in search of livelihood, hence the ferry has always been our lifeline,” Mtongwe ferry users’ committee chairperson Michael Otieno told The Eastleigh Voice.

He said their efforts to have the government address the Mtongwe ferry issue have not borne fruit. Residents say the situation worsened when KFS was integrated into KPA.

“The government seems more focused on projects like the Dongo Kundu bypass, neglecting critical needs like the Mtongwe ferry. It is a dire situation, affecting disabled individuals, pregnant women, and the entire community,” said Bakari Hamisi, a resident.

Few ferries

Hamisi said that with only a few ferries operating at the Likoni crossing, congestion remains a problem, as the channel has to be used by both Mtongwe and Likoni residents.

“Crime rates have surged as unemployed youth turn to illegal activities. These youths used to depend on the Mtongwe ferry to cross to Mombasa for menial jobs. We plead with the government to prioritise the needs of Mtongwe residents. Temporary fixes are not enough; we need a permanent solution like the construction of ramps on both sides of the ferry route,” said Otieno.

Traders say their businesses have been struggling since the suspension of Mtongwe ferry services. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Traders say their businesses have been struggling since the suspension of Mtongwe ferry services.

Owners of business premises in Mtongwe can hardly get tenants, unlike their counterparts in Likoni, a clear sign of the negative effects of the suspension of ferry services.

Matatus from Mombasa, which had established new routes from Mtongwe to Bamburi and Kongowea, have ceased operations.

Residents say the persistent problem of lack of reliable ferry services in Mtongwe only gets attention during campaigns but is soon discarded after elections.

“When we approach elections, leaders show with promises but after the elections, we are left to suffer on our own,” said Otieno.

Acting KPA Corporate Communications Manager Jones Buchere said the authority is currently building a ramp on the Mtongwe side before ferry services resume.

“Once construction on the Island side is finished the services will resume,” Buchere said.

At the same time, KPA is improving ferry services at the Likoni channel, which is crucial for transport between Mombasa and the southern mainland.

“The authority has reconfigured services to operate five ferries and implemented an automated, cashless tolling system to alleviate traffic congestion,” Buchere said.