Proposed port ‘a threat to Lamu’

Kenya has been urged to show more commitment in preserving the Lamu World Heritage Site.

The call came from a United Nations agency in the wake of plans to build a second port and prospect for oil in the area.

Even though the government has pledged to preserve the environment and Lamu’s heritage, Unesco is concerned about increasing threats to the world heritage site.

Kenya’s representative to the UN’s World Heritage Committee, Dr George Abungu, said the greatest threat comes from the proposed port.

Dr Abungu said the listing of Lamu as a world heritage site in 2001 attracted a horde of foreigners keen to acquire a piece of the coastal jewel.

“This has seen a mass transfer of property from locals. Even the sand dunes, Lamu’s only source of water, have been subdivided and put on the market,” he said.

He said the listing had not translated into any investment by the government and poverty still persisted.

Although the proposed projects would bring some benefits, the government must take cognisance of the need to preserve the site, Dr Abungu said.

“The government must ensure that the heritage site retains its integrity and authenticity as an internationally recognised property of outstanding universal value.”

Sharp rise

The Lamu Cultural Promotion Group chairman, Mr Ghalib Alwi, said landlessness and poverty in Lamu were on a sharp rise.

“The rush for land triggered by the proposed port has compounded the dire situation of the indigenous communities.

“Land grabbers from the political elite are producing title deeds on pieces of land that have been owned by the indigenous population for centuries,” Mr Alwi said.