Size of grant: USD 60,000
Purpose of CFP: This CFP seeks to identify a suitable implementing partner to carry out a Full Feasibility Study on Inland Passenger Water Transport for Mombasa County, focusing on i)short distance passenger transport routes and waterways, (ii)possible engineering solutions to the tidal surges, (iii) relatively fast water buses that are also suitable for extreme sea conditions, (iv)introducing attractive (affordable, reliable, comfortable, accessible) water bus solutions and, in parallel, discouraging access by personal cars into the city.
Submission Start Date: 18 January 2024
Submission Deadline Date and time: 8 February 2024
Submission Email: unhabitat-ken@un.org
Project Key Information
- UN-Habitat Project title: The Go Blue Project Result Area 2 “Connecting People, Cities and the Ocean: Innovative Land-Sea Planning and Management for a Sustainable and Resilient Kenyan Coast”
- Locations: Mombasa County
- Town/City: Mombasa City
- Country: Kenya
- Anticipated start date: 1st March 2024
- Estimated duration of project in calendar months: 6months
- Maximum proposed value in US$: 60,000
- Lead Organization Unit: UN-Habitat, Regional Office for Africa (ROAF)
Brief Background of the Project
The Go Blue Project Result Area 2 is titled “Connecting People, Cities and the Ocean: Innovative Land-Sea Planning and Management for a Sustainable and Resilient Kenyan Coast” and is jointly implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) within the coastal counties of Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Tana River with funding from the European Union (EU). The Go Blue Project aims at enhancing land-sea planning and management by addressing key socio-economic and environmental challenges while stimulating benefits from the blue economy. By promoting the economic growth of coastal urban residents and the preservation of coastal and marine resources, the Project seeks to assist in Kenya’s transition to a sustainable blue economy.
Mombasa, one of the six coastal counties, is the main gateway city to landlocked countries in East and Central Africa via the Northern Corridor. Rapid population growth and sprawl, the continued rise in private car ownership and an inadequate public transport system are all contributing to congestion and lack of a high-quality public transport system. As a result of these challenges, the county government developed a County Public Transport Service Plan for a potential Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) network. In addition to this, the County Governor, H.E Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir, has requested UN-Habitat to support the county to conduct a Full Feasibility Study (FFS) on Inland Passenger Water Transport for Mombasa County.
The FFS will enable the county to understand the potential of the inland water transport system in unlocking the existing public transport challenges and enabling movement of passengers and freight. Other than providing economical and environmentally friendly competition for road transport, it is expected that the inland water transport system will share a large volume of traffic in the coastal belt. The FFS will entail an analysis into the viability of inland passenger water transport, providing an in-depth report with much more accurate estimates (up to 10-20% accuracy) for the investments required, the effectiveness as well as the profitability. It will be the basis of the inland passenger water transport capital estimates, operating costs and overall economic viability.
Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on Passenger Water Transport in Mombasa
In 2014, a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on Passenger Water Transport in Mombasa and along the Kenyan Coast was commissioned by Mombasa County in collaboration with Berenschot and Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands, a European Union Member State. The PFS was an early-stage analysis that provided basic information and an overview based on which decision makers would provide a greenlight on whether to proceed with or abandon the proposed passenger water transport initiative. The PFS looked at:
a) The contribution of the passenger water transport in reducing the problem of traffic congestion in Mombasa County
b) The technical and financial viability of the passenger water transport around Mombasa Island (specifically the Island Line)
c) The technical and financial viability of the passenger water transport between Mombasa and the towns in the South and North Coast (specifically the Coastal Line)
The PFS provided a positive base-case scenario and an optimistic rather than a pessimistic starting point for a FFS. It noted that:
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Regarding reducing the problem of traffic congestion in Mombasa Island, 1million people entered and left Mombasa Island daily majority by passenger cars and reducing this number by providing alternative routes would held address the traffic congestion challenge.
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Regarding the technical and financial viability of the passenger water transport around Mombasa Island, specifically the Island Line, water bus services connecting landing sites on north mainland and east of the island are technically and financially viable and additional peripheral infrastructure (access roads and parking areas) are recommended through a detailed study.
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Regarding the technical and financial viability of the passenger water transport system between Mombasa and the towns in the South and North Coast, relatively large, seaworthy vessels are required due to the various challenges (including the sea conditions. Additionally, the southern coastal towns have low population, low(seasonal) tourism, narrow creeks (Kilifi/Mtwapa), coral reefs, marine observation routes (Chale point), open sea and well-connected road transport. Water transport must compete with car travel time and costs.
Main activities and outputs
The FFS would therefore build upon the positive base-case scenario (outlined in the PFS) to explore, among others:
i. Short distance passenger transport routes and waterways
ii. Possible engineering solutions to the tidal surges
iii. Relatively fast water buses that are also suitable for extreme sea conditions.
iv. Introducing attractive (affordable, reliable, comfortable, accessible) water bus solutions and, in parallel, discouraging access by personal cars into the city.
Objective
The objective of this Call for Proposal (CFP) is to identify a suitable Implementing Partner (IP) to carry out a Full Feasibility Study on Inland Passenger Water Transport for Mombasa County, focusing on the above four areas. The specific objectives of the FFS will be to:
a) Review existing literature (including reports, publications, thesis materials etc) and establish main arterial short distance passenger transport routes and waterways within Mombasa Island. This will include preparation of relevant maps, models, designs and plans for the established transport routes and waterways, together with attendant analytic descriptions.
b) Provide an outlook of inland navigation in Mombasa including demand assessment, travel patterns, infrastructural gaps and institutional support analysis. This will include making provision for possible engineering solutions to the tidal surges as well as a comprehensive business and financial plan for consideration by private sector investors.
c) Provide a comparative analysis of inland waterways vis a vis other existing or proposed competing inland transportation modes like railway and roads including BRT and the augmenting capacity of such competing modes and, in parallel, the ability to discourage access by personal cars into the city.
d) To provide an estimated broad cost for the proposed inland water transport considering environment, technology, operations and space as well as the contribution of the proposed inland water transport to local economic development and GPD in the tourism, transport, trade, logistics, agriculture and related sectors.
e) Recommend attractive (affordable, reliable, comfortable, accessible, relatively fast and sustainable) water bus solutions that are also suitable for extreme sea conditions considering passenger movements, environment and the land-sea nexus, connecting the city to the hinterlands including places of important commercial, agricultural, residential, industrial and institutional services.
The Outputs
The IP will report directly to the Go Blue Project Manager and liaise with the Project Management Unit of the Go Blue Project and will deliver the below outputs:
Output 1: Transport Routes & Waterways and Engineering Solutions
Output 2: Recommended Water Bus Solutions based on comparative analysis, broad estimates and attractiveness.