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An Island Paradise’s Struggle With Waste
And something needs to change
Lamu Island is seemingly endless beaches, warm turquoise waters, towns that time forgot, narrow streets navigated by foot, traditional dhows sailing mangrove channels, echoes of the Adhan (Islamic call to prayer), beating drums and faint cries of fishermen’s shanties.
Lamu Island a popular tourist destination for those who know Kenya is more than just the Big 5 and safaris. As the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site. Located off the coast of northern Kenya, in the Indian Ocean, Lamu is the most populated of the 65 islands that make up the archipelago of the same name.
But, there’s something jeopardising Lamu Town’s popularity. Something that’s turning off the tourists and UNESCO. Something the local government do next to nothing to manage. Something the community are blind to. Something that damages the beauty, environment and earnings of this island.
Rubbish, refuse, waste, garbage, litter, takataka — I could go on but you get the picture.
It’s everywhere.
It’s piled on makeshift dumpsites on the seafront. It’s thrown into abandoned houses. It’s blocking the aged open sewers. It’s stacked up and burning next to the cemetery. It’s in…
