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Perpetual Breakdown of Ferries Irks Mombasa Residents
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Submitted by Osombah S.W on Wed, 27/07/2011 - 5:31pm
Reprieve that never was…
Significant numbers of people live on the island and work on the mainland.
The breakdown of the ferries can last up to three agonizing hours while one is stranded on the high seas.The port was, for a long time being served by two ferries MV Kilidini and MV Likoni.
The two ferries were not enough to transport the ever increasing population of Mombasa. Besides that, the ferries were too old thus they kept on breaking down from time to time.
This was bound to happen despite the spirited efforts by the Kenya Ferry Services engineers. After many complaints being launched by the residents, KFS added a third ferry, MV Harambee.
The new ferry was not only expected to ease the jam of commuters but in extension it had additional capacity load more than MV Kilidini and MV Likoni and it was fitted with the latest marine technology.
The much needed new ferry was received with lots of excitement by Mombasa residents.
This excitement was short lived as the new ferry started experiencing mechanical problems a month after being set into operation. The so called ‘saviour’ was no savior after all. It has followed the footsteps of the other two ferries.
This has left everybody wondering what the problem maybe. Are our engineers up to task? Are the ferries overloaded? Or what exactly is the problem?
The breakdown of the ferries is very costly both in terms of time and money .The expenses are incurred by both the commuters and the service provider, KFS. The delays caused by the breakdowns can make one to be late for work or an appointment. Apart from that, the port experience snarls up of ferries and cargo ships that are either coming into or leaving the port. The losses made in time wastage are unimaginable since the ships cannot dock. Of course, this has a spiral effect and eventually it will take its toll on the economy of the country.
The population of Mombasa is on the increase. It has attracted many people given that it is a leading tourism destination in Kenya. It has reached a point that the number of commuters is not proportional to the number of ferries available. The results of this, is that, the ferries are being overloaded which in my opinion, is the root cause of the frequent breakdowns. But this is not all; the real danger is the risk of capsizing of the ferry. Challenges always crop up and are impediments in the quest of development. The cost of maintenance of the ferries is not any better and has made the dream of efficient port elusive.
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