Lamu County tourism sector is proving to be resilient in spite of the recent insecurity concerns recording an influx of both domestic and international visitors flocking hotels.
The impressive growth was largely attributed to the lifting of travel advisories by President Uhuru Kenyatta in October last year offering reprieve for many tourism stakeholders.
Despite having suffered massive losses from the cancellation of the Lamu Cultural Festival and Lamu Fishing Festival in December 2021, the industry is stabilising.
However, worries are abounded in the mainland especially during this electioneering period although tourism stakeholders are expecting influx of tourists will continue.
The low uptake of Covid-19 vaccine among residents has also been cited as a major setback.
“Domestic tourism has been the backbone for our sector especially with the travel restrictions that affected and still continues to affect international travel,” Chairman of the Lamu Tourism Association Ghalib Alwy reiterates, adding that the county is slowly gaining its pre-Covid-19 status as a preferred tourism destination.
Lamu Trade and Tourism Executive Josephat Musembi noted that although tourism was once again on the rise in the area, the county was looking to increase its trade and tourism development budget to enable it spruce up Amu Island as a World Heritage Site.
Tourism stakeholders have intimated that although tourism numbers are up, the county lost more than Sh30 million in revenue in both the formal and informal sectors.
Lamu has suffered a series of terrorist attacks by Al-Shabab militants, the recent one being on Sunday which took place in the Kwa Omolo-Bodhei area on the Lamu-Garissa highway.
At least eight vehicles operating at the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) highway project were set on fire by suspected Al-shabab terrorists.
Workers at the construction site have been repatriated to the camp amid fear following the attack.
This prompted the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) to withdraw its workers from various projects in the country.
The attack comes despite efforts by the government through the Ministry of Interior to deal with the insecurity issue in Lamu County.
The government imposed a thirty-day dusk to dawn curfew in parts of the county affected by insecurity.
The affected areas in Lamu West Sub County are Mukunumbi Division, Majembeni location, Ndamwe Location, Mkunumbi Location; Witu Division, Pandanguo Location, Binde Warinde location 2, Witu location, Hamasi Location, Mpeketoni Division; Bomani Location, Pongwe Location,
Mpeketoni Location, Bahari Location and Mapenya Location.
“In accordance with Section 106 (1) of the National Police Service Act, 2011, the National Security Council has declared the following parts of Lamu County as Disturbed Areas and ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew for a period of Thirty (30) days effective Wednesday January 5th, 2022,” read the statement.
