URBAN DESIGN AND

PLANNING
EAAQ/00027/2014
DENNIS MWANGI NDIRITU
MAMA NGINA WATER
FRONT PARK

MOMBASA, KENYA
 INTRODUCTION
• KENYA OFFICIALLY OPENED MAMA NGINA WATERFRONT PARK THAT HAD
BEEN UNDER REDEVELOPMENT FOR A WHILE NOW.
• THE TOURISM MINISTRY, WHICH UNDERTOOK THE REDEVELOPMENT,IS
OPTIMISTIC THAT THE PARK WILL ATTRACT MORE LOCAL AND FOREIGN
TOURISTS TO MOMBASA.
• Mama Ngina Waterfront Park, which has benefited from the big chunk of
Sh460 million, holds the rich history of Mombasa town that dates back to
the 15th century.
• PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA COMMISSIONED CONSTRUCTION OF THE
PARK IN JANUARY, SAYING HE EXPECTED IT TO RESTORE THE GLORY OF
MOMBASA AS A TOP TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE REGION.
• THE REDEVELOPMENT THAT WAS UNDERTAKEN BY A LOCAL COMPANY,
SUHUFIAGENCIES, WAS COMPLETED IN TIME FOR THE MASHUJAA DAY
FETE. THE CELEBRATIONS TOOK PLACE IN MOMBASA COUNTY AS PART
OF THE COUNTIES’ ROTATIONAL HOSTING OF NATIONAL
LOCATION AND CONTEXT

• THE 26-ACRE PARK THAT OVERLOOKS THE

KILINDINI CHANNEL IN MOMBASA COUNTY
HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO AN
INTEGRATED URBAN TOURIST ATTRACTION
SITE.
• Among the features the project aims to
establish are leisure walks, souvenir shopping,
entertainment, sporting and other leisure
activities, foods and beverages, and relaxation
areas.
• It will also include Little Theatre, a cultural
heritage center, to provide a platform for
exhibition of the coast’s diverse cultural
practices and foster heritage.
Open parks around Mombasa
 HISTORY
• The National Museums of Kenya, who are the
custodian of Kenya’s archeological and heritage sites,
gazetted the Mama Ngina Waterfront Park in 2005 to
preserve it.
1960s
• According to information at the NMK, Mama Ngina
Waterfront Park is as old as Fort Jesus. The fight for
Mombasa Island (Mvita) is believed to have taken
place on this site, before the natives (Wakilindini)
moved northwards to Old Town and Majengo area.
• The battle of Mombasa was between the Portuguese
and the natives, who were opposing this foreign
invasion by the white people.
• The Arabs had already set base in the coastal town of
2000s Mombasa by then and were ruling the island. They
led the locals against the Portuguese invasion.
Changes as time goes by
 HISTORY
• The Portuguese were against the slave trade that
was being done by the Arabs then.
• “It is believed that the Wakilindiini might have been
driven out by the Portuguese in the 15th century, as
Before 2020
supported by the presence of St Joseph Fortress, a
nameless fortress, a Portuguese Redoubt at the
Mama Ngina site,” reads part of report from NMK.
• Hundreds of thousands of the Swahili natives
(Wakilindini) lost their lives on these grounds of
Mama Ngina, when they were bombarded by the
Portuguese from their canons in the ships.
• Some Swahili natives still call Mama Ngina site
Mizimule (A place of spirits/ghosts) because of the
lives lost on that site and the presence of the many
After renovation baobab trees.
Changes as time goes by
 HISTORY
• The ruins of a church, St Johns ACK, believed to be the first one in Mombasa built by the
Portuguese, are still standing on a cliff at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park behind the police
headquarters.
• Next to these ruins, a fortress named St Joseph and another unnamed Portuguese redoubt still
stand after four centuries.
• “We have underground tunnels and caves on this cliff at Mama Ngina that were first used by
Arabs during the slave period as holding grounds before the slaves were sold abroad,” Swazuri
explained.
• Later on, after the Portuguese invasion, these tunnels were turned to underground bunkers,
whereby the Portuguese used to hide and stage attacks on the Arabs and natives.
• The tunnels are now being used as shrines and some as a hiding place for criminals.
 HISTORY
• This old St Joseph Fort at Mama Ngina was later abandoned
before the Portuguese set a new base near the Old Town.
This is after they built Fort Jesus between 1593 and 1596 to
the designs of Giovanni Battista Cairati to protect the old port
of Mombasa.
• Fort Jesus is one of the most outstanding and well-preserved
examples of 16th century Portuguese military fortification.
• Back to Mama Ngina Waterfront Park. On its stretch also lies
the Mombasa Golf Club, which was built in 1911, when the
British had invaded Mombasa and set a protectorate.
• Just a short distance from Mombasa Golf Club is the
Mombasa State House, which was built in 1879 as the
Government House, some years before the construction of
Nairobi State House in 1907.
• Around this area also stands the Light House, which was used
for ship navigation by the Portuguese, Mbaraki Pillar behind
Nakumatt Likoni, and baobab trees believed to be over 400
years old.
 SCRAMBLE FOR LAND
• In the 1970s, the Kenyan government issued a directive to preserve the Mama Ngina Waterfront Park.
• However, between 1985 and 2012, there was a scramble to divide the 26-acre land to tycoons keen to put up
hotels and other businesses.
• According to the NLC, some 13 private companies and individuals subdivided 20 of the 26 acres among
themselves.
• “We now have only six acres left for the public. However, the good thing is that this subdivision of Mama
Ngina Park is only on paper. A big chunk of the land is still open to the public. Only 2.3 acres have been
fenced,” Swazuri says.
• The ruins of St Johns ACK church, St Joseph Fortress, a redoubt and a navigation pillar are still standing to
date.
• Mombasa Lands executive Edward Nyale, who led the operation to demolish the perimeter walls around the
two plots, says they have to make sure public land is preserved.
• He says the entire area is public land and any person who claims ownership got the papers in corrupt ways.
 RENOVATION
• The refurbishment included landscaping and
paving the waterfront with concrete blocks,
construction of an amphitheatre, the Kilindini
Cultural Centre, ablution blocks and two main
gates.
• Mama Ngina park has always been a place for
leisure resting, walking, jogging and riding. It is
famous for its fried cassava and all manner of
fried potatoes and pastries. The project was
designed to support a 24-hour economy and
its layout includes a new jetty for water taxis.
• The waterfront now features a palm tree-lined
walkway from the Likoni Ferry Crossing to its
south through to the Mombasa Golf Club to
the north. These two points are the entry and
exit points both ways, and are now marked by
huge monumental gates.
 RENOVATION
• The waterfront park also has a sun-drenched 2.1km long promenade and a space for
food vendors. The sitting area now a properly built amphitheatre, has more greenery
with newly planted palm trees and grass where visitors can while away time.
• The walkway has rail guards separating it from the cliff-face, just above the pounding
waves crashing onto the rocks below making it a safe, family-friendly place. For years,
this park has housed the famous Florida Nightclub & Casino and Galaxy Chinese
Restaurant on the northern edge. These have been incorporated into the cultural vista
of the new look park.
• The amphitheater's design was derailed from the ancient Rome. It has a seating
capacity of 3,000 people who will comfortably enjoy live cultural events and
performances. The original parking squares have been retained next to the walkway to
ensure orderliness. Being open 24-hours a day, the park is well lit with strategically
placed security lighting, a police post and public toilets.
 REFERENCES
• https://constructionreviewonline.com/
features/inside-mama-ngina-
waterfront-park-in-kenya/
LIKONI FLOATING BRIDGE

• MOMBASA, KENYA
 INTRODUCTION
• Kenya recently launched a 1.2-kilometer floating bridge across the Likoni Channel, which serves
as a gateway for Mombasa Port. Ferries are currently used to transport people and vehicles
across the channel, but due to increased demand as the population of the city grows, the viability
of the ferry service has become limited.
• It is estimated that about 300,000 pedestrians and 6,000 vehicles cross the channel daily, causing
immense congestion during peak demand hours.
• The new floating pedestrian bridge will help alleviate this pressure. The $17 million bridge was
built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), and it is of Bailey type, made of lattice steel
designed from prefabricated parts. It has a six meter wide bridge deck and 715 meter long
floating section. In the middle, it has a 150 meter swing opening to allow the passage of ships
calling at Mombasa Port to transit through the channel.
The bridge in use

The bridge in design stages

LOCATION AND CONTEXT
 DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
• The project will include the construction of a 660-metre pedestrian bridge stretching from north
to south of Likoni. It is funded by the government.
• The bridge will complement the existing ferry services to streamline passage and reduce
overcrowding and long queues of up to one kilometer.
• The structural integrity of the bridge is assured by the piling of steel anchors. These are further
reinforced by cables designed to be anchored to underwater gravity anchors. These cables adapt
the bridge to the horizontal force of the current.
• It is said that the bridge involves the construction of the pile foundations and a Bailey-type
approach bridge with movable main steel bridge at the middle of the channel that allows ship
movements. The approaches on either side of the channel are fixed steel structures anchored on
pile foundations.
• The bridge will have a 150-metre long movable part, right at the middle, which will be opened
and closed to allow for ships to pass through to and from the mombasa port while for small
fishing boats, there is a bascule opening of five metres.
• The movable part will be connected to motors on both sides of the section to allow the bridge to
open and close.
 DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
•The bridge is temporarily dismantled at least an hour before any vessel docks so that the barge has enough time
to withdraw undersea anchors.
•The structural integrity of the bridge is assured by the piling of steel anchors. These are further reinforced by
cables designed to be anchored to underwater gravity anchors. These cables adapt the bridge to the horizontal
force of the current.
•The northern trestle, which is the part between the start of the bridge on the island side where the movable part
will start, will be 248m long. The southern trestle will be 188m long.
•The road approaching the start of the bridge on the island side, known as the north approach road, will be 162m
long while the south approach road on the mainland side will be 175m long.
•The bridge will be operated by Kenya Ports Authority, whose tag boats will be deployed to open and close the
movable part one hour before a ship passes. This will also provide sufficient time for withdrawing undersea
gravity anchors.
•Although the bridge can last for over 50 years, it will be used temporarily as a way to address social distancing at
the channel due to passengers’ overcrowding. It will be dismantled once the permanent Mombasa Gate Bridge
project is completed, which is currently at design stage and estimated to cost $1.8 billion.
 REFERENCES
https://www.constructionkenya.com/8163/
likoni-floating-bridge/