The Kenyan government will start construction of the first cable car project on the Likoni channel in Mombasa County in November.

Kenya’s Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia, said the Ministry would soon sign contracts to pave the way for the construction of the cable car.

The project will cost KSH5.5 billion (€45m) and is expected to ease traffic between Mombasa and the popular holiday resort of Diani in the South Coast.

Over the years, hoteliers and tour operators in Diani have attributed low business to transport challenges on the Likoni channel, triggered by frequent ferry breakdowns.

Diani is popular with foreign holidaymakers because of its scenic coastline, which is also ideal for snorkelling and scuba diving. However, tourists heading to the South Coast from Moi International Airport, Mombasa, face delays when crossing the Likoni channel due to the ageing ferries.

Kenya Ferry Services MD, Bakari Gowa, says a concession agreement for the construction of Likoni crossing has been finalised. He said the project, which will be implemented through a public-private partnership, would take 18 months to complete.

He said the cable cars would transport 80 000 passengers a day, easing the burden on the ferries. The five ferries transport more than 300 000 people and 6 000 vehicles per day.

It is estimated that the Likoni Express Cable car will take two and a half minutes to cross the 500-metre stretch. Currently, ferries take between five and 10 minutes to move passengers across the channel but breakdowns cause delays of up to 40 minutes.

The project will involve 22 cable cars, each carrying 38 passengers, making nine trips per hour.