Road to ease ferry congestion unveiled

The long awaited construction of the Dongo Kundu bypass in Mombasa Town is set to begin any time now after the government handed over the site to the contractor yesterday.

County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said the bypass, which was first proposed 30 years ago as a solution to the chaotic Likoni Channel crossing, was on the way to becoming a reality.

“The contractor is mobilising equipment to construct the first 10 kilometres of the road from Miritini to Kipevu and provide a link between the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and the port,” he said during a hand-over ceremony at Bonje, the main construction camp.

Construction work at the section is expected to cost Sh11 billion.

The second section will involve construction from Mwache to Dongo Kundu which includes building a long span bridge over the creeks while the third section will be from Dongo Kundu to Kibundani to link with Likoni-Lunga Lunga road.

Construction of the road from Miritini to the port is expected to improve movement of goods from the port.

The bypass is seen as the solution to the perennial problem of congestion at the Likoni ferry, which has blamed for the underdevelopment of the South Coast.

With over 300,000 people and 5,000 vehicles using the channel each day, the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) has literally ran out of options on how to address the problem of ferry breakdowns and delays.

Yesterday, tourism stakeholders and business people welcomed the road construction project.

“People have talked about this project for as long as I can remember and its actualisation is long overdue,” said Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) executive officer Sam Ikwaye. “We in the tourism industry have always believed that the road is the key that will unlock the potential of Ukunda and Diani.”

The bypass will also encourage investors in the hospitality sector, since they were shying away from putting their money in an area faced with serious transport problems.

“While over the years we have received numerous complaints by guests who miss flights after being delayed at the crossing, cancellations of major events in Diani hotels have been blamed on the inconveniences at the ferries,” he said.

According to property developers, the road will also lead to an increase in the value of properties in the area.

The South Coast has generally experienced low investment in property, a situation that has been blamed on poor accessibility.

Last November, the government received a Sh25 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the project.

Mombasa port stakeholders have in the past expressed concern over congestion at the port’s precincts, which has resulted to choking of the exits, causing pile up of cargo.

On Monday, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) announced that construction of the Moi International Airport Road would start soon. The agency has been clearing road reserves in readiness for the upgrading of the road into a dual carriage.

To address congestion on the Jomvu-Miritini road, the government has completed designs and tender documentation for dualling of the Changamwe-Miritini road.

Recently, Transport and Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Musonik said as part of the development of a system of ring roads and bypasses to decongest the city, designs were underway for the proposed Mombasa Northern Bypass linking Mazeras to the Mombasa-Malindi road in the North Coast.