Sh5.1 billion marina to open its doors in a month

Different views of the English Point Marina, Mombasa, from one of the penthouses. [PHOTO:MKALA MWAGHESHA/STANDARD]

While on a visit to the Coast, President Uhuru Kenyatta was at State House, Mombasa when he saw an arresting development across the channel.

His interest piqued and he asked to be taken over. He was so impressed by the development, that he asked to open it. This is the English Point Marina.

Uhuru is not the only one; a string of senators, MPs and governors are a constant feature at the establishment. When plans for the English Point Marina were announced, analysts were optimistic it would put the Kenyan coast in the league of luxury boat destinations.

Think about multimillionaire yacht owners and the like.

Being the first of a kind, it has had its own shortcomings, key among them the expertise needed to pull off a project of this magnitude, something the developers say has held them back by almost two years.

“The interest English Point has generated since it started to take shape is the reason it has taken a while to be completed,” says General Manager Philip Jones in his office on the first floor of the English Point Marina Hotel.

Tentatively set to be opened next month, the development is only 90 per cent done, having delayed for more than a year. Journalists and guests were told it would be open in November 2013.

 Challenges

“There are many challenges but contractors have to take responsibility. We have had to re-do a number of things because they were done wrongly. Example is the Marina. It has taken longer than expected because the contractors have erred more than once,” says Mr Jones.

The intricate design of the whole establishment, and the insistence of the Managing Director, Alnoor Kanji, to use local contractors all contributed to delays.

“For such a foreign design and architectural brilliance, the contractors have nonetheless done a good job. All because we have made sure everything is done to perfection and that is why there was no rush to open until everything was in place,” says Jones, who explained that the total cost stands at about Sh5.1 billion, up from Sh 4.8billion on earlier projected estimates.

The marina, the first in East Africa, is the biggest selling point for the project and according to Jones, a sailing enthusiast himself, it has to be perfect.

At the moment, pontoons, which need to be fixed to the deck are floating, detached.

Some more work needs to be done before everything comes together. “We will build and re-build until it is perfect. It has been challenging because even the contractor has never done such a project. After this, I am sure they will be able to do similar projects anywhere.”

Work on the apartments is done, except for a few touches in preparation for the grand opening.

There was a soft opening, and since November, English Point has seen visitors trooping in. “Last year we made few sales but things are looking up right now,” says Jackline Murage, a sales assistant.

“It seems people were waiting for the whole place to be working before they could invest. We are making more sales from the Nairobi market than from anywhere else,” she adds, information corroborated by Jones, who added that the target market consists of only 25 per cent of the Kenyan population.

“And even in that 25 per cent who can spend Sh43 to Sh78 million on an apartment, only four per cent can actually see this as being fair to their pockets,” he says, adding that the over 50 per cent sale of apartments was reasonably good.

The English Point Marina hotel is fully functional and has exquisite rooms that have been well decorated to fit modern standards.

With conference facilities being a hugea pull for institutions, three spaces are available at the top. The hotel has a lovely restaurant and a bar on the third floor. The Ansui spa is operating, next to a gym that is yet to be equipped.

The need for a bigger conference facility has meant that the management has had to convert one of the restaurant spaces on the deck, with work still ongoing.

The hall, which was to be part of a three-storey restaurant facility sitting on top of the sea, stands thanks to its curvy shape. “It sits on top of the water, connects to the deck, and visitors have a view of the marina, the sea and the island from inside the facility,” says Ms Murage.

 Fully functional

Currently, the biggest pull of English Point is the deck. It has hosted a number of wedding ceremonies, a music video shoot by popular artiste Akothee and cocktail events, but the ice cream parlour and scenery is pulling in even more people.

“Three out of the four spaces have already been leased and the proprietors are in the process of furnishing them. Two will be restaurants and one will be a lounge,” says Jones.

According to the manager, English Point Marina will be fully functional in six or seven months. When it is up and running, yachts can finally dock in. “Give it two years and the dock will always be full. Yachts will become a feature of Mombasa and water sports will eventually gain popularity.”

The conceptualisation of the marina has interested other investors, with two marinas set to be built adjacent to Nyali Bridge and in Kilifi.