How the handshake has conspired to kill Mombasa economy

The five ferries that traverse the Likoni Channel are a death trap and you take your life in your hands every time you step or drive on board one of them. Three of the ferries do not meet any international safety standards according to a report by Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr, tabled in Parliament this past week. In the past three years, a whooping Sh600 million has been pumped into the rusting death machines yet it might as well have been dropped in the Indian Ocean for all the difference in safety it has made. 

The ferries of course are symptomatic of the rot that characterises the state of the once renowned Coastal city. The tourism industry is in ruins with peak season reduced to a few weeks in December when Nairobi moves to Mombasa. Kibarani dumpsite got a face lift that is appreciated by visitors but the tons of garbage have now been transported to residential areas with VOK, Bombolulu a major health hazard to thousands of nearby residents.