Sh1.9b shame: How poor planning, oversight gaps sank the Likoni floating bridge

Mombasa residents using the Liwatoni Floating Pedestrian Bridge on March 31, 2021.  [File, Standard]

The once sturdy metals of the Liwatoni Floating Pedestrian Bridge (LFPB), celebrated in 2020 as an engineering marvel, are sagging under the weight of sheer neglect at Liwatoni and Ras Bofu, Mombasa.

The beams of the bridge that served thousands of pedestrians daily are blanketed in rust that flakes like dried blood due to the thuds of strong waves of the Indian Ocean.

The area abandoned as tourists, local and international, who flocked to see the country’s wonder bridge, are no longer visited. It is a ghost place as businesses that had sprouted in the area due to the huge traffic of pedestrians have died.

The silence of the place is only upset by the rush of waves of the ocean and megaships sailing into or from the port. 

“It is like we threw Sh1.9b down the drain into the ocean. This could be the biggest white elephant in modern times,” said Mr Julius Ogogoh, the Executive Director of the Centre for Litigation Trust (CLT).

At the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020, the state awarded China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) a tender to construct the 824-metre bridge to reduce infection rates at the Likoni Ferry Channel.

Constructed at a cost of about Sh1.9 billion, the bridge ranked among Kenya’s most expensive non-motorised transport projects. It was completed in just five months.

Designed mainly for pedestrians, cyclists, persons with disabilities and emergency services, the bridge stretched roughly 800 metres, linking Liwatoni on Mombasa Island to Ras Bofu in Sultani, Likoni.

READ: Shippers: Likoni floating bridge cost us millions

Built from prefabricated steel sections assembled on site, it included a floating mid-section and a central opening meant to allow ships to pass through the narrow Likoni channel.

At the time, the government presented the project as a temporary fix that would operate for several years, at least until 2028, as plans were finalised for a permanent Likoni crossing.

But that assurance quickly faded. Design changes later reduced the bridge’s expected lifespan, and within just three years, the structure was already facing closure.

The bridge’s operational challenges were apparent even shortly after its launch. Critics argue that the bridge, while ambitious, was perhaps rushed without thorough consideration of the challenges it would face or pose. They say that without a proper analysis of long-term usage patterns, it was bound to struggle.

Adding to the list of grievances, the bridge’s design reportedly restricted commercial vessels, an issue that sparked further doubt from the government, who rely on the channel for import-export business.

But what happened? Shipping lines complained that the structure on the narrow navigation point across the Kilindini Channel posed a risk to ships going into and out of the port of Mombasa.

Andrew Mwangura, a maritime analyst, said the entrance at the head of the Kilindini channel ranks among the continent's most challenging navigation points and that the bridge complicated matters.

“The sharp bend and narrow deep-water passage demand exceptional skill from ship captains. The bridge was constructed without a comprehensive ship collision risk analysis,” he said.

He said that the international maritime safety standards require a rigorous comparison of bridge and tunnel options from a navigational safety perspective before any construction begins.

For port stakeholders, the stakes could not be higher. The port's safe and efficient operation was critical to regional economic stability, and, for them, the bridge was a non-tariff barrier or a nuisance to trade.

Ms Isabella Nyaga, a ship agent, said that the bridge compromised navigational safety and threatened local commerce and the economic lifelines of multiple landlocked nations dependent on the port.

“Creating a blockage at Eastern Africa's largest and busiest ports was a no-brainer. It was a knee-jerk reaction to Covid-19; blocking ships for four to ten hours was a bad decision,” said Nyaga.

The bridge connecting Mombasa Island to the Likoni mainland operated during peak hours between 5am and 8am and from 4pm to 8pm, leading to a drop in congestion at the Likoni crossing channel.

During these periods, ships entering and leaving the port of Mombasa were obstructed. Shipping experts estimate that ships incur a cost of $38,000 for a 24-hour delay, which translates to $1,583 per hour.

Other marine experts said the bridge posed a significant ship collision risk in the narrow but busy Kilindini Channel, as maritime safety considerations are not adequately addressed.

Other than the effects on maritime trade, the position of the bridge also attracted intense discussion, especially on the security of the pedestrians after gangs wreaked havoc on pedestrians.

Engineers put final touches on   Likoni floating pedestrian bridge at Liwatoni in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

At one time, gangsters descended on the densely populated Jamvi la Wageni, Harambee, and Msufini, which are less than a kilometre away from the Likoni Police Station, harming and robbing pedestrians.

The gangs also attacked boda-boda riders who were transporting people to the Liwatoni floating bridge, demanding that they pay a fee for operating in the area.

“There was not enough security at both Liwatoni and Bafu. Several people were robbed. The pedestrian decided to use the ferry despite its delays,” said Jane Charo, a resident of the Bofu area.

Before the gang attacks, Mombasa County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said that the bridge was being used by at least 200,000 people daily, reducing congestion at the Likoni Ferry.

“Although residents tried to resist using the bridge, it has become a game-changer, as the number of people who stood close to each other as they waited for the ferries at Likoni has reduced,” he said then.

After the spread of Covid-19 reduced, pedestrians were allowed to use the ferry and the floating bridge.

ALSO READ: Ruto: State to build Sh100 billion fixed bridge in Mombasa County

At the time, Kenya Ferry Services indicated that at least 350,000 people used the ferries daily. KPA now estimates that the number of pedestrians has shot up to 400,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles.

However, due to pressure from the shipping lines, state agencies started to direct pedestrians back to the Likoni ferry channel, and eventually, KPA suspended the bridge and later announced that it had been decommissioned and withdrawn.

KPA noted that following its withdrawal, the port, as an international trade facilitator, was now able to provide marine services on a 24/7 basis for all ships scheduled to call at the port.

“The LFPB is located at a sensitive part of the port, and therefore, its efficient operation is key to smooth port business operations as well as convenience to pedestrian traffic.  However, its operations adversely impact port efficiency, causing an average delay of 25 ships a month,” said KPA in a statement then.

KPA said it closed the bridge indefinitely to pedestrians after it started night pilotage of oil tankers. It said that the bridge interfered with shipping, as it stood as an obstacle to the free navigation of ships.

KPA managing director William Ruto said then that the 24/7 operation at the new Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal would reduce turnaround time for ships at Mombasa port.

"This will lower the price of petroleum products because the importers will not incur more expenses, which they always pass on to consumers when ships take a longer time in the port discharging their cargo," Ruto said.

He explained that before the launch of night pilotage, there was a policy that such ships bringing oil could only be piloted during the day, but that has now changed.

Earlier reports from the government indicated that the bridge was to be administered by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) but operated by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

KeNHA and KPA failed to respond to our question about the state or future of the bridge. “We handed the bridge to KeNHA for servicing,” said KPA’s senior communications officer Sylvan Mghanga.

However, KeNHA Coast Region manager, Eng Simon Omonuo, said that he could not comment about the bridge as it was under the management of KPA. “The bridge is no longer under the purview of KeNHA but KPA. Please contact them for comment,” he said in a short text message.

When retired President Uhuru Kenyatta [centre] cut a ribbon when as he officially commissioned Likoni floating pedestrian bridge at Liwatoni in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

A source at KeNHA told the Standard that initially the agency planned to transport the remains of the bridge to Lamu, but locals, especially boat operators, resisted for fear that it would kill their business.

According to the law, KeNHA is responsible for the management, development, rehabilitation, and maintenance of all bridges that are part of the national trunk road network (Classes A and B roads). Its mandate covers all associated bridge infrastructure, including footbridges and underpasses.

After the withdrawal of the bridge, President William Ruto said last year the government had secured Sh100 billion to build a fixed bridge at Liwatoni in Likoni. He said the government was procuring a contractor to build the Mombasa Gate bridge in Likoni to allow ships to pass underneath.

“I met the Japanese prime minister, and he agreed to give us Sh100 billion for the Likoni bridge. The bridge will enable us to do away with the ferries. Be patient while I get the contractor to do the work,” he said.

The 69-metre-high planned Mombasa gateway bridge is expected to link up the Likoni and Mombasa islands. It will be a functional road connecting Mombasa Island and the Mombasa Mainland South.

The bridge will have a 13.5 km road, spanning from Lumumba Road on Mombasa Island and connecting Dongo Kundu (Southern Bypass) Road to the southern mainland in Likoni. It is designed to cross the over 600-metre-wide Likoni Channel to provide for vessels to access and leave the Kilindini harbour while vehicles pass overhead and then onto Mombasa city.

A feasibility study and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) were prepared by the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in March 2019.

Meanwhile, the Dongo Kundu bridge, built for Sh28 billion, 10 km away from the Likoni Ferry, is also completed, and although it is away from pedestrians, it has eased the pressure of vehicles at the ferry.

Meanwhile, LFPB now stands abandoned, its steel components steadily corroding under the salty coastal air. Parts of the structure are now considered a potential navigational hazard, raising concerns that collapsing sections could threaten passing vessels.

On land, residents say the deserted facility has become a security risk, with reports that criminals now use the dark, unused sections of the bridge and access ramps as hideouts — the exact opposite of the safety and convenience it was meant to provide.