Govt clarifies reports on planned privatisation of beaches and islands
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 28, 2025The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has moved to clarify reports circulating on social media suggesting that the government intends to privatise beaches and islands under the new national tourism strategy.
In a press statement issued by Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, the State Department for Tourism emphasised that the ongoing public engagement on the draft strategy has been misunderstood by some quarters.
The ministry explained that while the draft strategy proposes identifying certain beaches and islands for special concessions, this does not mean privatisation or transfer of ownership to private entities.
The PS noted that the draft national tourism strategy, developed under the Tourism Act, aims to guide the marketing, management, and regulation of Kenya’s tourism sector. One of its pillars focuses on re-engineering Kenya’s tourism product to improve the visitor experience, particularly in beach tourism.
“The strategy is essentially built around three key pillars, one of which focuses on re-engineering Kenya’s tourism product development to enhance the overall visitor experience. Under this pillar, one of the strategic directions is to enhance Kenya’s beach tourism experience.
“Specifically, page 50 of the draft strategy proposes identifying and designating certain beaches and islands for special concessions as imagined along global best practice.”
However, Ololtuaa has made it clear that all beaches and related resources remain under the ownership and management of the national government.
He added that any proposals emerging from public participation must comply with existing laws such as the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act (2013) and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act.
The ministry dismissed as misleading claims that the government plans to bend legal provisions to create illegitimate investment opportunities in the tourism sector, calling such allegations baseless and made in bad faith.
Privatisation of 4 beaches
The ministry’s clarification follows reports that five beaches and four islands along the Kenyan coast were earmarked for privatisation in a bid to attract more tourism investment.
According to the Kenya National Tourism Strategy (2025–2030) draft, the Ministry of Tourism proposed an urgent re-engineering of Kenya’s tourism product development, arguing that the sector requires significant recalibration to remain globally competitive.
The proposal, however, sparked widespread public concern and debate on social media, with many Kenyans interpreting it as an attempt by the government to privatise public beaches.
It is this misunderstanding that prompted the ministry to issue an official statement clarifying that the draft strategy’s intention was to enhance tourism experiences through regulated concessions, not to transfer ownership or control of public coastal areas.