Kenya Ferry Service (KFS) chairman Ramadhan Kajembe has called upon the county government of Mombasa to allocate funds to the parastatal to enable it offer better services.
Speaking during the re-launch of MV Harambee, which has been out of service for over a year, Kajembe noted that only the national government has been funding the ferry service provider, yet the county government receives revenue collected at the channel.
He said Mombasa residents have been using the Likoni Channel for free, arguing that is therefore the responsibility of the county government to pay their bills.
“We respect the county. I ask the county to disburse funds to the Kenya Ferry Services to support those people crossing the channel,” said Kajembe, as quoted by The Star.
The new demand is projected to cause a conflict of interest between KFS management and county officials.
This comes a week after the High Court restricted Mombasa county officials from collecting revenue from the commuters and KFS.
The court also asked Governor Hassan Joho to ensure that his government refunds all the cash that was collected at the ferry unlawfully.
Joho is expected to pay Sh2.5 million per month as well as Sh1.5 million for late repayment on a monthly basis.