Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has announced plans to bar vehicles from using ferries at the Likoni crossing channel in Mombasa following a bus accident on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Governor Nassir in a statement, announced that his administration was contemplating presenting a proposal to the national government which could stop motor vehicles from using the ferry.
Mombasa Governor Nassir indicated that the decision would help reduce cases of accidents at the crossing channel.
“The County Government of Mombasa is deeply concerned about the safety of all ferry users. As a measure to prevent future accidents, we will be proposing to the National Government a cessation of vehicular traffic on the ferry.
“This step aims to enhance safety for both pedestrians and motorists using the ferry,” Nassir stated.
The governor made the remarks after visiting some of the passengers who sustained injuries after their bus lost control and overturned.
Earlier today, a bus traveling from Ukunda to Nairobi lost control and tipped over while disembarking from the Likoni Ferry, resulting in 9 injuries. I have personally visited the victims at the Coast General Teaching and Referral hospital to offer support and ensure they are… pic.twitter.com/wom30lpcAv
— Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir (@A_S_Nassir) October 6, 2024
The accident
Police confirmed that there were no casualties reported in the incident where the bus was en route to Nairobi.
Kenya Ferry Services divers successfully rescued six women who were on board during the incident.
“Red Cross volunteers based at the Rescue Center at the Likoni Ferry, in collaboration with the National Police, Kenya Ferry and Kenya Ports Authority, responded to an emergency involving a bus at the Likoni Channel earlier today,” Kenya Red Cross announced.
“Nine people were injured: seven were treated at the scene, while two were taken to the hospital. The Kenya Red Cross also provided psychosocial support services,” it added.
This is just one of several accidents recorded at the Likoni channel in recent years. It has made headlines in the recent past with most people escaping alive in the accidents.
In 2019, a car carrying a mother and daughter slid off ferry MV Harambee into the Indian Ocean. People watched as the car sank with no immediate help in sight.
The vehicle was however retrieved after 13 days in a combined effort of a multi-agency team that brought together divers and other experts from the Kenya Navy, and Kenya Ferry Services among others.
The channel is a busy crossing point between Mombasa Island and the mainland.
