This archive report was first published on 21 September 2019.
On September 21, 2019, the Kenyan government secured Sh82.7 billion to fund the construction of a 1.4-kilometer cable-supported bridge connecting Likoni and the Mombasa Mainland.
The project, fully funded by the Japanese government, aims to provide a solution to the constant challenges facing residents and motorists commuting between the South Coast and Mombasa mainland.
The construction of the 69-meter high bridge is expected to kick off in 2021 and will start at Lumumba road in Majengo, terminating at Moi Avenue along Archbishop Makarios Road.
Currently, about 300,000 passengers and more than 6,000 cars use the Likoni channel ferries to and from the Mombasa mainland.
Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Ryoichi Horie said, “Kenya and Japan have had a long-standing relationship spanning from 1963. We will continue to foster this going forward and help one another in the various ways we can….,” during the signing ceremony at the Treasury in Nairobi.
The financing deal was approved in August 2019 when President Kenyatta attended the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, Japan.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani stated that Sh46.6 billion of the loan credit will be used to build the bridge, while the remaining funds will be spent on the development of Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone to boost the manufacturing sector.
