The port city has historically struggled with traffic snarl-ups on its roads due to a huge number of cars and tuktuks.
The county government is calling for private investors to put money in water transport infrastructure, such as private ferries and passenger boats.
Transport deficiencies at the coast are bad for business, with players in the tourism and cargo sectors being especially affected.
Mombasa County is turning to private investors to cure its perennial transport problems.
The port city has historically struggled with traffic snarl-ups on its roads due to a huge number of cars and tuktuks. At the same time, water transport in the region leaves much to be desired.
The county government is therefore calling for private investors to put money in water transport infrastructure, such as private ferries and passenger boats.
“If private investors introduce ferries to connect the island and north of Mombasa, it will address traffic congestion on Nyali Bridge,” said County’s Trade Chief Officer Abdulwahab Mbarak.
He also called for investors to introduce sea transport services to connect Mombasa with Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu counties. Mr Mbarak added that there was little room for expanding existing roads, necessitating the need for alternative means of transport. Currently, the government runs services at Likoni and Mtongwe.
In February, ferry services resumed at Mtongwe after a five-year hiatus. The services had been suspended in 2012 as the government decommissioned two old ferries for being unseaworthy.
However, the present infrastructure is still heavily weighed down by the 30,000 people who cross the Likoni Channel every day.
Transport deficiencies at the coast are bad for business, with players in the tourism and cargo sectors being especially affected.
Hoteliers and travel agencies have in the past raised concern about the state of affairs in transport in a region that accounts for much of Kenya’s tourism numbers.
There have been complaints that tourists using the Moi International Airport routinely get stuck in hours-long traffic jams on the way from and to the airport.
Last year, the county government blamed the traffic jams on trucks heading to the port for goods. However, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) threw the blame back, accusing the county of failing to set up parking facilities.
Travellers from the key tourist destination of Lamu face their own challenges, having to move by boat to the mainland part of Mokowe before proceeding by road to Kilifi or Mombasa.
The only other alternative is to fly, which is costly for most Kenyans and will still involve a stopover in either Mombasa or Malindi.
During the holiday season last year, thousands of tourists were stuck after flights to key coast destinations were cancelled.
The sector recorded losses as tourists either delayed their trips or cancelled them when faced with the daunting prospect of completing the last leg of their journeys by road.
The proposals put forward by Mr Mbarak are not entirely new. Kenya Ferry Services has long proposed sea transport services to connect Mombasa to its neighbouring counties although these ideas have amounted to little.
This call for businesses to put their money in the transport sector is part of a bigger plan by the county to attract investors.
Today, Mombasa will launch an online investment portal that will provide information on available government. A similar portal is managed by the Ministry of Finance at the national government level.
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