It has emerged that Mombasa residents are shunning the multi-million Likoni floating bridge.
The Sh1.9 billion project was initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta to help ease movement between the mainland and Mombasa island.
Lack of accessibility has been the main hindrance limiting its usage by Likoni residents, one month after its commissioning.
The bridge continues to receive fewer commuters than had been anticipated.
Notably, the Likoni ferry crossing channel serves over 300,000 people and over 6,000 vehicles every day, but the floating bridge is serving less than 4,000 people daily.
Residents note that the matatu terminals being constructed on both sides of the bridge have taken long.
On January 10, when a tour company bus plunged into the Indian Ocean while boarding the ferry at Likoni, the Kenya Ferry Services management and the police forced commuters to use the Likoni floating bridge as an alternative.
In the following days, the number of commuters using the bridge rose to over 60,000 per day, according to Kenya National Highway Authority’s statement to the public.
On January 14, Kenha said the bridge serves a pedestrian count of over 65,000 people daily, an increase in usage from 4,000 people a day in its first week of operation.
