By Bonface Mulyungi

President William Ruto has promised to launch a new ferry at the Likoni crossing in Mombasa County by December.

Speaking in a meeting in Mombasa on Thursday, May 21, 2026, during the title deed issuance in the coastal area, the Head of State said that the new ferry will be constructed in December this year at a cost of Ksh3 billion.

“This morning, I saw the Mombasa people trying to cross the sea on the ferry. I want to let you know that my government is going to construct a new ferry for you, which costs Ksh3 billion before December this year,” Ruto said.

The Head of State has affirmed that there is a congestion often seen when people move from one point to another every day, which is the basis of this decision. Furthermore, the president has also announced a KSh5 billion investment in Mtongwe to improve mobility in the region.

In Mtongwe, the president said they were spending another Ksh5 billion to ensure improved mobility in the county.

Some 15,000 to 30,000 commuters board the ferry daily, and about 300,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles cross both channels daily.

Likoni Ferry, however, has claimed several lives, in which passengers are said to have slipped off and drowned in the sea.

The crossing is used by more than 300,000 people each day and by over 6,000 vehicles a day and can at times become incredibly unsafe and chaotic during boarding times, causing injury.

Resettling squatters

President William Ruto also used the platform to discuss the issue of squatters and intends to issue more than 200,000 title deeds to more than one million families.

The president, who is on a five-day tour in the coast region, has directed the Ministry of Land to make a subdivision of the land to rationalise the provision of title deeds.

Mtondo’s erratic ferry services and poor roads have long plagued residents, and when services are suspended, residents have to travel through the overcrowded Likoni crossing or select alternative routes, often dangerous ones, especially during the rainy season.

Persons with disabilities face a greater burden, as their disability-friendly facilities at the ferry ramps and boarding areas at Mtongwe are far behind those of the larger Likoni channel.