Operations at the Mtongwe ferry crossing channel have officially resumed.

According to Kenya ferry services(KFS), they will now be offering the ferry  service daily from Monday to Saturday from morning and closing at 8am due to the curfew imposed by the national government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The move was welcomed by residents who also challenged the management of Kenya ferry services to ensure that operations at the channel will not be halted again in the future.

" We have been suffering for a long time because of the lack of ferry services and this move is highly welcomed" said Micheal Ogambo, Chairman Mtongwe ferry users association.

According to Ogambo, Mtongwe has experience an increasing cases of insecurity after KFS halted it's operations at the channel.

Ogambo charged " This channel is like the backbone of our economy in Mtongwe so when Kenya ferry services halted operations we suffered alot. Some landlords even started complaining that tenants are moving out of their houses and going to other places".

KFS halted operations at the channel September last year (2019) to repair the jetty at the channel.

In an earlier interview KFS Managing Director Bakari Gowa was quoted saying "“The last time those pontoons were repaired was in 2013. We wanted to replace them with ramps, but because of some financial challenges and concerns for safety of our users, we have opted for the repairs,” 

The pontoon at the Island side was once washed away by the Indian Ocean waves sparking safety concerns among users.