The Likoni Ferry is a ferry service across

Kilindini Harbour Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...

, serving the Kenyan city of

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

between

Mombasa Island Mombasa Island is a coral outcrop located on Kenya's coast on the Indian Ocean, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Part of the city of Mombasa is located on the island, including the Mombasa_Old_Town, Old Town. History The old ...

and the mainland

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Likoni. Double-ended ferries alternate across the harbour, carrying both road and foot traffic. The ferries are operated by the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS), and is the only remaining ferry service by KFS. The Likoni Ferry began operating in 1937. Passenger services are free; vehicles (including

tuktuk An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

s, motorcycles, and trucks) pay a toll. The crossing is approximately .

Service

Hamburg Dradenau MV Kwale MV Likoni 3735

There are seven operating ferries. MV ''Mvita'' and MV ''Pwani'' were bought in 1969 and 1974, respectively; MV ''Nyayo'', MV ''Harambee'', and MV ''Kilindini'' were bought second hand in 1990. MV ''Kwale'' and MV ''Likoni'' were acquired in June 2010. MV ''Jambo'' was purchased from Türkiye in 2020. In 2010, ''Harambee'', ''Nyayo'', and ''Kilindini'' were deregistered from

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...

for being unseaworthy. As late as May 2011, MV ''Nyayo'' was in still in use as the relief ferry. The

Dongo Kundu bypass Dongo Kundu Bypass Highway, also Mombasa Southern Bypass Highway , is a road under construction in Kenya. When completed, it will connect Mombasa Mainland West to Mombasa Mainland South, without entering Mombasa Island. Location Dongo Kundu B ...

is planned to ease the congested ferry by connecting . The road would run from Diani to

Miritini Miritini is a suburb of Mombasa, Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the wo ...

, bypassing Mombasa itself. A direct bridge or tunnel from Likoni to Mombasa Island had also been proposed, but the high cost of building them has made these options unlikely. In 2018, the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

cautioned travellers against using the ferry due to safety concerns.

Incidents

''Mtongwe'' Disaster (1994)

On 29 April 1994, ''Mtongwe'' ferry bound for the mainland capsized from port, killing 272 of the 400 people on board. Following the disaster, it was reported that the capacity of the ship was 300. As of 2005, KFS had compensated 81 families a total of KSh 36,902,472 (

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

486,840).

''Harambee'' incident (2019)

On 29 September 2019, 35-year-old Mariam Kighenda and her 4-year-old daughter Amanda Wambua died after boarding ''Harambee'' when their

Toyota Isis The Toyota Isis is a seven-seat large MPV manufactured by Kanto Auto Works under contract for Japanese automaker Toyota. It is sold in Japan and was launched in September 2004. It features sliding doors and is available with either front- or f ...

slipped off the back ramp into the harbour. On 2 October, the rescue team used robots to locate the victims' bodies trapped in the car. On 9 October, the car and bodies were located at a depth of . They were recovered two days later.

Fees

Motorcycles pay KSh 50, sedan cars pay KSh 120, minibuses pay KSh 600, and buses pay KSh 1,100. Pedestrians and cyclists ride for free.

References

External links

Kenya Ferry Services
{{coord missing, Kenya Ferries of Kenya Mombasa Ferry boat disasters