The tourism sector in Malindi is set for a facelift after the county and national government began construction of a multimillion beachfront project.

Already, work has begun on a pilot basis that will cover three acres dubbed the Malindi Waterfront Revitalisation Project after the county government allocated Sh75 million to establish tourism attraction facilities at Bunthuani near the old Malindi museum. The move is part of strategies in place to revive the ailing tourism sector in the resort town, which was once a major destination. 

Kilifi County Executive Member for Lands, Charles Dadu, said they have begun setting up two soccer fields one of which will be for beach football. 

It also involves construction of basic utilities including washrooms, changing rooms and a tourism information centre, which will also be the administration office.

 “We will also rehabilitate the Malindi Public Jetty and build a stage for performances,’’ he said during a tour of the site by county and national government officials.

A sea composite walkway and cycling path 10 metres wide for pedestrians and cyclists will also be built. “In addition, there will be a parking lot for 100 cars,” he said. 

The pilot project comes months after the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife last year agreed with the Kilifi county government to jointly revamp the ailing tourism industry for the benefit of the region’s economy.

Speaking at the Kilifi county governor Amason Kingi’s office when he paid a courtesy call, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said his ministry had already developed a blueprint for the beautification of the  Malindi sea front.

Beach road

“We are partnering with Kilifi county government to develop a  9km waterfront in Malindi from Sabaki River estuary to the Vasco da Gama pillar. The designs are similar to Mama Ngina Drive and Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach in Mombasa,” Balala said.

Kilifi Tourism and Trade executive Nahida Athman said the project will visualise the needs of modern tourists and promote tourism. “It will give room for diverse tourism facilities, create jobs and investment opportunities and transform the sector to international standards,” she said.

The county has already awarded a contract to refurbish the Malindi Beachfront road, which is in a poor state. The contractor is expected to on site to rebuild the road at a cost Sh150 million, Dadu said. 

Cultural centres

He was addressing a delegation of county and national government officials at Ocean Beach Resort and Spa. The delegates later inspected the site.

Silvester Muli, chief architect in Public Works ministry, said the pilot project is expected to be complete in three months. It is similar to the Mama Ngina Drive restoration works, which are almost complete.  

Muli said the bigger project, which is subject to feasibility studies, and funding will cover 9km from Vasco da Gama to Sabaki River. 

“The idea is to enable fishermen to deliver fish, provide boat-repairing areas, build fish markets, cultural centres and offer fish sports and a golf course, among other tourism attraction facilities,” he said.