Change is finally coming to Likoni Ferry.

If you’ve ever queued for hours at Likoni - squeezed between cars, hawkers, and crowds - you know how tough the daily crossing can be.

Over 400,000 people and 6,000 vehicles depend on the channel each day, yet for years, the sheds, ramps, and safety systems have been stretched to the limit.

Now, Kenya Ports Authority has unveiled a new Traffic Circulation Management Plan to fix those long-standing challenges.

The upgrades will see passenger holding bays expanded and rebuilt, while landing ramps will be widened to ease the constant pressure of vehicles moving in and out of the ferries.

Pedestrian skybridges and safer waiting sheds will be added to protect commuters from the daily scramble, while the bus terminal will be relocated and formalized to end the chaos of uncoordinated boarding.

The plan also integrates economic opportunities by creating more than 900 stalls for informal traders, ensuring small businesses remain part of the ferry ecosystem.

Together, these changes are designed to transform the crossing experience from today’s crowded struggle into a safer, faster, and more dignified daily journey.

Construction is set to begin in a month on the mainland Likoni side and will run over 24 months.

At a Mombasa Hotel stakeholder’s forum, area MCAs, tour operators, SMEs, transporters, and other immediate stakeholders shared their opinions, signalling strong local support for the project.

The speech by KPA Managing Director Capt. William K. Ruto - read on his behalf by GM Ferry Services Bakari Gowa - promised to “restore dignity to daily movement” and deliver a smarter, safer service.

Capt. Ruto emphasized that the design rests on five pillars of connectivity — spatial, functional, environmental, social, and cultural — ensuring the ferry space will be not only efficient but also inclusive and dignified

Likoni MP Mishi Mboko welcomed the plan as “long overdue,” adding: “If we had this before, we wouldn’t have faced safety breaches.”

Mombasa County Commissioner Mohamed Noor Hassan praised the inclusivity of the design, highlighting new facilities for persons with disabilities and clear segregation of passenger movement.

For ferry users, this means shorter waits, safer crossings, and a daily journey that finally respects your time and dignity.

What happens next? KPA, as a responsive government entity, will convene a larger baraza-style forum for ferry users at a date to be announced.

This will ensure that all opinions on the project are heard and captured for posterity.

State Department for Transport Kenya

Stakeholder Engagement.

Stakeholder Engagement.

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