Hand washing: Boreholes to be drilled at Likoni channel - KBC

The Mombasa county government will drill a borehole on each side of the Likoni crossing channel to ensure constant supply of water for commuters to use to wash their hands.

The Kenya Ferry Services on Wednesday launched the hand-washing campaign for ferry users after installing 100 taps on either side of the crossing channel in a bid to keep the dreaded COVID-19 away.

County Water and Sanitation executive Tawfiq Balala said the drilling has started on the Island side and each borehole takes two days to complete.

“From tonight, we are bringing the main water source here so that pumping can continue 24 hours to cater for the traffic here,” said Balala.

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“So far, there is no case of coronavirus in Mombasa and we want to keep it that way. The ferry crossing has been our biggest headache because of the 300,000 people who cross the channel daily,” said Balala.

Kenyan National Chambers of Commerce and Industry Mombasa through their chair Mustafa Ramadhan donated hand washing detergent liquid soap to Kenya Ferry Services.

Mustafa said the soap will be used for Corona virus hand wash by commuters using ferry services at the Likoni crossing channel.

Mustafa is also urging more private sector players have to take the queue and chip in to compliment efforts of the government.

KFS managing director Bakari Goa said only collaborative efforts will sustain the measures to keep the coronavirus away.

He said the drilling of the boreholes will go a long way to helping residents stay healthy.

Meanwhile, Pwani Oil Company Limited has partnered with Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) to provide soap and hand-washing kits for thousands of commuters using ferry services as part of ongoing efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The ferry service provides transport to over 300,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles daily at the Likoni Channel in Mombasa and in Kisumu respectively, making it one of the largest public transport providers in the region.

Pwani Oil Company Ltd will provide 720 pieces of Detrex Antibacterial Soap brand daily for the next 10 days with KFS providing hand-washing kits at strategic points to cater for thousands of commuters who used the ferry services daily.