OLD Nyali bridge - Mombasa Kenya

If only this land-mark bridge had not been dismantled..... Considering the infamous traffic jams that North Coast residents suffer every single day while trying to go off and back to the mainland might not have been so terrible.

But, our myopic government which still suffers from the same myopia as the one then, since it is the same lot - only recycled, decided to dismantle it despite the then Nyali residents assuring it that they would be responsible for its maintenance and upkeep.

Now, everybody is suffering the consequences of this tunnel vision. And while, at long last, something is being done to deal with the awful traffic situation in Nairobi, nobody in officialdom is giving much thought to the same happening elsewhere, and specifically in Mombasa the second largest town (city?), in this country of ours.

For their (govt.'s), information, and we hope that they have noticed this when they zoom past in their convoys of 4WDs which the traffic cops have cleared them. That we have only one outlet each for getting off the Island of Mombasa in every direction. To the South we have the questionable ferries, to the North the traffic jammed Nyali Bridge and to the West the Makupa Causeway. All of them, get choke-a-block with traffic during peak hours.

Should anything happen to jam traffic at any of these points, there is no alternative way to get away from any disaster. And since our Council has allocated most of the road reserves and developed on them, too, there is little room for expansion, either.

A very good example of this is the island end of the old Nyali bridge. It has become quite unrecognizable. Palatial houses have been built all over and if one wanted to show our new generation the former land-mark floating bridge, there is no way that one could, unless we knocked on various private residences to let us through!

So, is our present government going to do something to alleviate this constant congestion all over Mombasa? And if so, when? In fact, to let our officialdom (politicians), experience what the ordinary mwananchi has to go through every day, they should not bother with the traffic police clearing the way for them, but, experience first hand the results of their short-sightedness. Maybe, then, something will be done about it, pronto!

One can hope, at least......

Subject: FW: OLD Nyali bridge - Mombasa Kenya THIS BRINGS BACK SO MANY MEMORIES!!!! for those who can remember and for those who never saw - only heard ALREADY DISMANTLED SEVERAL YEARS AGO - BUT LEFT ITS GLOWING MEMORIES FOREVER!!