Motorists using the Likoni Ferry channel stuck in traffic on July 9,
2016 after two ferries stalled. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA
GROUP
Trouble started at 11am when mv Kilindini and mv Kwale stalled due to pump and propeller problems respectively, causing the management to withdraw them for repairs at the Kenya Ferry Services mainland jetty.
This left only two ferries, mv Nyayo and mv Likoni, to deal with the ever-increasing human and vehicular traffic that stretched to more than 400 metres on both sides of the channel.
The passage transports 300,000 people and 6,000 vehicles on a daily basis.
Users expressed disappointment over the way the KFS management handles crisis at the busy channel complaining of being kept in the dark.
“Why do they have the public address system but fail to use it when crisis hits this channel?” asked one of the commuters who was heading to the South Coast.
When the Sunday Nation visited Likoni channel at around 2.40pm it witnessed massive traffic jam as tens of hundreds of commuters jammed the waiting bays as the two ferries tried to cope with the growing crowds.
“It took about an hour for the passengers to get a ferry. The problem began in the morning when the vessel developed a mechanical problem leading to its withdrawal,” one of the guards told Sunday Nation.
Mr Gilbert Mtsotso, who was travelling to Diani Beach Hotel said he was held up in traffic jam for more than an hour.
“It took me more than 30 minutes to drive from Star of the Sea High School to Mwisho wa Matatu, which is about 200 metres,” he said.
He added that it would be more ideal if a bridge connecting the mainland and the inland is constructed to deal with the traffic.
Contacted on telephone, the Managing Director Bakari Gowa asked commuters and motorists to bear with them as the technical team worked around the clock to rectify the situation
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