Recommendation by a Senate Committee on Roads and Transportation over three oldest vessels at the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS)'s Likoni Channel is probably a looming crisis at the busiest channel.
The committee chaired by Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi recommended that KFS should halt at least three of its vessels.
According to the report which was tabled in the Senate on Thursday, old vessels were contributors to endless accidents at the Likoni channel, including MV Harambee, whose ramps were not properly drawn which left Mariam Kighenda's car at a sloping angle thus plunging into the ocean.
Mariam Kighenda and her daughter Amanda Mutheu plunged into the Indian Ocean at the Likoni Channel in late September after their car slid from MV Harambee.
The two died and later their bodies retrieved from the ocean bed after 13 days.
“The committee recommends the halting of the defective ferries such as MV Harambee, MV Nyayo, MV Kilindini until funds are available to procure new ones,” part of the recommendations of the committee read as quoted by The People Daily.
Halting of the said vessels will result to a big crisis at the channel, which serves thousands of motorists and passengers on daily basis.
If MV Harambee, MV Nyayo and MV Kilindini will be halted as the committee suggested, the channel will only be left with three extra vessels, MV Jambo which is the newest and also the biggest, MV Kwale and MV Likoni. This will result to a huge jam at the channel because three ferries cannot meet users' needs on a 24/7 basis.
Likoni Channel is usually served with at least four ferries at a time which works in intervals depending on the number of users at the channel.
In most cases, the channel records delays and huge crowds any time a single ferry is withdrawn from the service for mechanical problems if it is not replaced immediately, and with the Senate's recommendation, there will be not enough ferries to work in intervals and shifts.