Air travellers ordered to notify ferry ahead of crossing

A Ferry at Likoni crossing. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By MOHAMED AHMED
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Summary

• Air travellers from South Coast have been forced to notify the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) management before crossing the Likoni channel.
• In an announcement, the KFS said vehicles transporting perishable goods will be allowed to cross the channel between 7am to 7.30 from Island and mainland side.
• Another schedule for the fresh food stuff will start between 9am to 9.30am from either side of the channel.

Air travellers from South Coast have been forced to notify the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) management before crossing the Likoni channel.

“Any person connecting an international flight from Moi International Airport is hereby requested to inform the management in advance for further crossing facilitation,” reads a statement sent to Shipping & Logistics.

In an announcement, the KFS said vehicles transporting perishable goods will be allowed to cross the channel between 7am to 7.30 from Island and mainland side.

Another schedule for the fresh food stuff will start between 9am to 9.30am from either side of the channel.

Cargo trucks from South Coast which are destined for upcountry will therefore not be allowed to use the channel and instead divert at Kombani junction in Kwale and follow directives from security personnel.

The same will apply to cargo from Kilifi that have no business in Mombasa which will now be required to move through the Mavueni-Mazeras road to other upcountry destinations.

RUNNING BATTLES

Motorists using the channel will be ferried from 11am to 2pm to allow smooth flow of pedestrians using the four ferries available Mv Jambo, Mv Kwale, Mv Likoni and Mv Kilindini.

The decision to ferry vehicles in the stipulated time was reached at following a stakeholders meeting between county and national administration officials and the KFS management.

This was as a result of chaos that were witnessed on Friday last week when police brutally beat up pedestrians for flouting rules.

Motorists were caught up in the melee and some had parts of their vehicles broken when police engaged hundreds of commuters.

The surging crowd engaged the police in a running battle as they rushed home to beat the dawn-to -dusk curfew imposed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

President Kenyatta announced the curfew last Wednesday and took effect from last Friday evening.

The curfew resulted in the suspension of night operations of the ferry services for pedestrians.

SHIPS LIST

With the curfew in place, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) that uses the channel in its operations has been asked to provide a daily list of ships and staff required to provide services to them.

“KPA staff, ships agents and transporters of cargo to and from the port of Mombasa will be exempted from the directive (of not using the channel at nigh),” said coast regional commissioner John Elungata.