A presidential promenade on the canal between Mombasa and Likoni.
Ahead of schedule, which is almost unprecedented in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday inaugurated the new floating pedestrian bridge that will link the island town of Mombasa with the shore of Likoni, at Liwatoni and Ras Bofu, not far from the ferry docks.
The bridge, built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) under the supervision of the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) will definitely be in operation for the next five years, pending the construction of the 1.4 km long and 79 m high road bridge by the Japan International Corporation Agency, which will finally eliminate the problem of crossing the Likoni canal, which has always been the only way to go from Mombasa to the south coast and Tanzania.
The 800-metre-long floating footbridge is intended to reduce the traffic of people on ferries by allowing pedestrians to cross free of charge on foot. The bridge will also reduce the time needed to cross the canal by 70%.
Currently, the two ferries in service carry over 300,000 pedestrians and more than 6,000 vehicles per day.
The new bridge, which cost 1.9 billion Kenyan shillings, has a 150-metre movable section at mid-ocean to allow for the smooth opening and closing and movement of ships in and out of the port.  It has a six-metre wide walkway that allows pedestrians to cross it without congestion, thus enabling compliance with Covid-19 standards.
The management of the bridge will be entrusted to the Kenya Ports Authority and the Kenya National and Highways Authority.
During the inauguration, Transport Minister James Macharia explained that the bridge, which will be ready for public use in January 2021, is only a temporary solution and will be moved to another location in 2025, when the Mombasa Gate Bridge, a final solution to clear the canal traffic, is expected to be ready.
Construction of the "Japanese" bridge (like the one in Kilifi, by the way) will begin in December 2021.