By Patrick Beja

Two ferries were withdrawn from the busy Likoni crossing after they developed mechanical problem.

The early morning stalling yesterday led to a traffic snarl-up in the South Coast that lasted two hours.

Thousands of workers from the south Coast to Mombasa island were delayed after Mv Nyayo and Mv Harambee were withdrawn from operation.

Both ferries developed engine problems, according to Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) sources.

Mv Nyayo’s engine would not start while one engine on Mv Harambee failed.

KFS management withdrew Mv Mvita from Mtongwe channel to clear traffic at Likoni crossing.

KFS acting Managing Director A S Sajjad said the situation returned to normal after Mv Nyayo resumed operations.

Undergoing repairs

Mv Harambee was, however, still undergoing repairs yesterday.

"We have restored normal operations and cleared the traffic," Engineer Sajjad said.

A heavy passenger and vehicle jam built up forcing tour buses from Diani Tourist Resort to cancel their trips to the Tsavo National Park.

A tour driver from Pollman’s who sought anonymity said: "The guests have requested to be returned to the hotel. We have been here since 6 am."

A KFS official who sought anonymity said trouble started after a build up of passengers as they forced their way onto Mv Kilindini, the only vessel in operation for about two hours.

"Passengers became irate after being delayed and scrambled for Mv Kilindini denying vehicles a chance to embark. This resulted in a delay for motorists," said the KFS official.

Manage traffic

Police were called to manage the traffic, but it proved difficult until Mv Mvita arrived from Mtongwe where the ferry had to be closed to facilitate movement at Likoni.

Mv Mvita, the oldest vessel commissioned way back in 1969, was allocated to passengers and Mv Kilindini ferried vehicles and passengers.

The chaos eased at 8am when Mv Nyayo resumed operations. Mv Nyayo is the flagship vessel for KFS with a capacity of over 1,400 passengers and 60 vehicles.

Carrying capacity

Mv Kilindini and Mv Harambee carry 1,400 passengers and 40 cars while Mv Mvita carries mainly passengers. Mv Pwani built in 1975, has reportedly been taken for major repairs.

Mv Nyayo, Mv Kilindini and Mv Harambee came into operation in 1990.

A similar crisis was experienced at the Likoni channel last July when two vessels broke down in the morning. Thousands of people escaped death narrowly after two overloaded ferries that had stalled at the channel drifted in ocean currents.

The incident evoked memories of the Mtongwe ferry disaster of 1994, where hundreds drowned.

The Government has been criticised for failing to build a bypass road linking the main highway from Mombasa to Nairobi and tourist resorts of the South Coast. It is believed that construction of such a highway would cut traffic at the Likoni ferry by at least two-thirds.

KFS has ordered for two new ferries at Sh1 billion from Germany to bolster operations. The vessels are expected to be delivered later in the year.