The use of the water route as a mode of transportation is minimum in Kenya and is limited to the coastal and the lakes areas only. A large portion of Lake Victoria is used as the water transport system in Kenya. Railway, airway and roadways are used more extensively than the water route.
An inland waterway service run by Kenya Railway functions in Lake Victoria for the movement of cargo and passengers within the section of the lake falling under the territory of Kenya. There is a one wagon ferry that operates between Jinja and Port Bell (Uganda), Mwanza, Musoma (Tanzania) and Kisumu for the movement of wagons and trucks supplementary to rail and road traffic between the states through Malaba. KR owns two freight tugs, nine lighters and three passenger vessels on Lake Victoria.
In the coastal regions both passenger and shipment ferry services are provided by the Kenya Railways for commuters who travel from the North coast to the South coast and vice versa. The transportation services are free for the people but taxes are levied on cargoes and shipment.
The most important and used port is the Mombasa port which is managed and run by the Government corporation-Kenya Ports Authority. Open to most international shipping systems, it connects Kenya with the east and central African countries as well as other nations of the world. Other facilities like cold storage, warehousing and container terminals are also provided by the port.
The Kenya Ports Authority(KPA) also maintains inland container depots at Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret. Other important ports apart from Mombasa are the ports of Kisumu, Kenya, Mwanza and Bukoba, Tanzania, and Entebbe, Port Bell and Jinja, Uganda.
The water route of Kenya therefore is highly efficient and well maintained and very useful for the people journeying from one coast to another and for shipment purposes.
