Residents have welcomed the construction of a Sh390 million ramp for Mtongwe ferry.
The construction started on October 10 but residents blocked it after the contractor went to the site without engaging them.
“We didn’t know what was happening and we had to protect our livelihoods. We depend on this seashore to feed ourselves and families,” explained Mtongwe Beach Management Unit chairman Suleiman Mwinyi on Friday during a public participation forum at the Mtongwe landing site.
There are at least 400 people who directly depend on the Mtongwe landing site for their livelihoods including fishermen, boat owners, a group of rescue divers, small scale traders, among others.
Project manager Hillary Nyaanga said the ramp will be 40 metres wide and 70 metres long.
About three quarters of the ramp’s length will be in the water.
“The berth metrics design or technical site investigation is ongoing,” Nyaanga said.
An environmental and social impact assessments are currently underway.
The results will inform the action to take to address the plight of those who will be affected by the construction of the ramp.
“These people will not be thrown out. The management (of the Kenya Ferry Services) will look at it and see how well they can be handled,” Nyaanga said.
The permanent works will include removing of the debris at the sea level, clearing the path for the ramp.
“Then we will do the sheet piling to protect whatever materials that shall be brought so that when we do the filling and the pre-cast ramp they will be contained,” said Nyaanga, who is the chief structural engineer at the State Separtment for Public Works.
Some sections will have minor piling of circular pipes which shall contain the platform or the foundation for the ramp.
The whole project is to take a year and six months. This means completion is expected in April 2022. “But it will be finished faster if there are no interruptions,” Nyaanga said.
The ramp is supposed to provide a permanent solution to the Mtongwe ferry crossing channel, which still uses jetties mounted on pontoons that keep breaking down and disrupting operations of the ferry.
A pontoon is a type of floating device used to add buoyancy to a structure. These are usually tubes that are airtight and hollow, making them water-resistant and unsinkable.
“With the ramp, the safety and security of the ferry users will be greatly improved,” Nyaanga said.
