Old ferries to removed from the Likoni ferry channel -KMA report

Legislatures adopt a Kenya Maritime Authority report on the fate of old ferries at the Likoni channel. The report recommends old ferries to be removed from the channel.

Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) is expected to ground and cancel the certificates of all ferries that do not meet safety standards. If implemented, it will mean that only three ferries will be in operation.

The committee, chaired by Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, found that three of the six ferries have operated for 30 years now, contrary to the Kenya Ferry Service (KFS) policy that ferries be replaced after 20 years. KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa confirmed to the committee that they were operating the old ferries against their own policy because they don’t have money to buy new ones.

“The non-functional prow played a part in the accident that claimed the lives of two people when a vehicle slipped off MV Harambee in September 2019,” the report states.

MV Harambee at the Likoni ferry. PHOTO | NMG

The report also adopts an increasing number of ferries according to the Passengers ratio. The channel is estimated to be used by approximately 500 Cars and 2000 passengers per day.