Four injured as chaos erupt at Likoni ferry channel

Several people were injured, some seriously, when chaos erupted at the Likoni channel in Mombasa County on Friday evening.

It all started when two ferries of the four that usually carry commuters and vehicles across the channel broke down, causing a huge snarl-up.

It was a chaotic scene. Some of the stranded travellers gathered in the waiting area grew impatient and opted to jump over the wall which is about 7 feet high.

Normally, the wall confines people to some sort of a lounge where they wait the next ferry and guards are usually stationed at the entrance and exit to regulate the flow of people and to ensure they are not overloaded.

On Friday evening though, they gathered here to await for the next ferry as usual but it did not arrive fast and they got tired.

And as they jumped over the wall to rush towards the ferry when it finally arrive, part of it sunk.

BLOOD-STAINED

It is this debris that fell on those who had already landed. When the Nation team arrived, there were strewn shoes, clothes and the place was blood-stained.

One man bled profusely and was rushed to hospital. The Nation could not immediately establish the count of those injured or to which hospitals they had been rushed to.

But given that about 300,000 people and 30,000 vehicles cross the channel daily, the number of those injured may have been significant. The waiting yard can hold up to 600 people at a go.

The channel is served by four ferries; MV Nyayo and MV Harambee, MV Kwale and MV Kilindini.

On Friday, Harambee and Nyayo broke down meaning the other two had to serve the same number of people. They got overwhelmed.

A huge traffic snarl-up built from the centre of town on Mombasa island, snaked for about 4 kilometres up to the ferry point.

FERRY BREAKDOWNS

On the other side of the mainland, a similar jam had built, frustrating commuters. Some complained they had not moved for up to two hours.

By eight in the evening, the traffic had started to ease on either side. More guards had been brought in to control the traffic at the ferry.

However, this is not the first time ferry services are breaking down. This year alone, there have been at least three breakdowns.

Although MV Kwale and MV Kilindini were only purchased in 2012 from Norway, the other two have been in service for more than 30 years.

According to Mr Hassan Musa, the MD of Kenya Ferry Services, the ferries do not get time for repairs because if they are pulled out of the sea, the traffic snarl-up would be unimaginable.

This year, the National Treasury released Sh3.7 billion for the purchase of two new ferries expected in the country in November next year.