NO URGENCY

Fury over slow pace of Lamu jetties' repair

Jetties are important for water transportation.

In Summary

• The major jetties are structurally unsound due to years of negligence.

• The ministry offered no alternative means of transport.

Lamu residents are furious over the snail's pace of jetties' renovation after years of poor maintenance.

The jetties are essential in the county’s transport system. Now they are unsafe.

 

Public Works chief structural engineer Hillary Nyaanga called for patience as he blamed changing tides for the slow pace of the jetties' renovation.

“There is also the issue of sourcing for some material from far and wide and that takes time," Nyaanga said in response to residents' complaints.

Last January, the national government disbursed Sh649 million to rehabilitate and reconstruct four key Lamu jetties.

Mokowe customs jetty was allocated Sh520 million, Mtangawanda jetty Sh62 million, Manda airport jetty Sh35 million and Lamu mangrove customs jetty Sh32 million.

The renovations had been scheduled to start in November last year.

Most of the jetties were dismantled and no alternative means of transportation were put in place.


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