MFANGANO FERRY FUNDS MISSING

Residents of Mfangano Island in Suba North Constituency, Homa Bay County, are crying for answers from the government regarding what is done with Ksh.300 million, which was allocated to a public ferry.
The operations of the public ferry were to reduce the cost of transport on the Island high to accelerate the slow economy of the area.
In 2022, the residents via Mfangano Development Forum MDF petitioned the Senate to provide them with a government-owned ferry to aid in transport services from Mfangano Island, Takawiri, Remba to mainland in Mbita.

Currently, there are private firms providing ferry services within the Island, which are said by the residents to be expensive.

Questioning when the Senate Committee of Transport Roads, and Housing visited the Island to act on their petition, MDF chairperson Daniel Rakoro said that down the years, they have not been updated on how things are going based on their demand.

Rakoro reports that there was an allocation of Ksh.300 million in the budget for Mfangano Island public ferry, but they have not even seen the ferry.

Committee chairman Eddy Oketch told the residents that Ksh.300 million had been allocated in the previous financial year to construct a ferry at the Kisumu Shipyard.

Oketch told the committee will investigate where the funds were directed to, and the ferry service between Mbita and Mfangano Island has been overdue.