NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 13 – The Senate has urged the government to procure a second public ferry for Lake Victoria, seeking to end years of transport disruptions that have left more than 30,000 residents of Mfangano Island and neighbouring islands struggling to access essential services.
The Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing wants the government to deploy a new ferry currently under construction at Kisumu Shipyard to the Mbita-Mfangano route within six months and allocate funds for an additional vessel in the 2027/2028 financial year.
The recommendations follow a petition by Daniel Rakoro and other Mfangano residents, presented to the Senate on October 18, 2022, highlighting the lack of reliable public transport linking Mfangano, Takawiri, Remba, Atego, Risi and Ringiti islands to one another and the mainland.
Presenting the committee’s report to the Senate in September, then committee chairperson and Migori Senator Eddy Oketch described ferry transport as the “sole and critical link” connecting Mbita, Mfangano and the mainland, warning that the absence of a reliable service had significantly affected island communities.
The petitioners told the Senate that the suspension of the only private ferry service in December 2021 had forced residents to rely on expensive and unsafe private boats, driving up the cost of living and doing business while exposing passengers to safety risks.
