Commuters injure guard as ferry stalls at Likoni Channel

Hundreds of Commutters from Likoni mainland side walk to the Mombasa Island side after disembarking from Mv Nyayo ferry in Mombasa County on Tuesday, 24th November,2015. The Commutters were stranded after one of the Ferries Mv Harambee overshot the Likoni ramp while discharging both Commutters and Motorists.PHOTO BY MAARUFU MOHAMED/STANDARD

Angry commuters at the Likoni Channel yesterday morning injured a security guard following a ferry crisis.

The commuters who were protesting the stalling of MV Harambee turned their wrath on the guard as he tried to calm them down.

Likoni OCPD Will Simba said the guard from Texas Security Company was seriously hurt, and was admitted to the Coast General Hospital with broken limbs.

The ferry had gotten stuck at the ramp due to sudden recession of water, exposing its propellers that enable it to sail off.

"Police officers rushed to the scene and fired twice in the air to scare the charged crowd before saving the guard," said Mr Simba.

He said police were reviewing the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera clips to identify those behind the assault.

"I am appealing to the ferry users to be patient when the vessels breakdown. They should not resort to beating up the guards or anyone for that matter," said Simba.

Mv Harambee stalled at the south mainland ramp at about 8.30am in what was termed as running aground due to low tidal waves, causing panic among passengers.

Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) officials described the incident as a natural occurrence, which they had no control over.

KFS Corporate Communication and Marketing Manager Elizabeth Wachira assured commuters and motorists that the ferry was to sail off the ramp once the high tides prevailed.

"This is a natural happening where water suddenly recedes exposing part of the ferry, and it can only sail off during high tide," Ms Wachira said.

Said Juma expressed concern over the frequent incidents of ferries grounding on the ramp.

"We do not understand why ferries always get stuck on the ramp," he said.