•Kisii deputy vice chancellor (administration) Joseph Mailutha said if nothing was done, there won't be much left for posterity.
•The heritage sites have a solid irreplaceable historical value that must be jealously guarded against human activities.
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The lack of regulatory mechanisms to conserve heritage sites in the country has been blamed for their wanton destruction.
Experts have further urged for a funding gap in securing the sites.
As part of the efforts to help protect the sites from human activities, a conference in Kisii has rooted for scaling up of funding by the government.
Already many historical sites are on the verge of extinction due to human activities.
A casual survey of sites in Kisii has revealed total neglect.
Kisii deputy vice chancellor (administration) Joseph Mailutha said if nothing was done, there won't be much left for posterity.
Mailutha led experts in the conference.
Kisii University school of arts and social sciences dean, Margaret Baraza said the ongoing destruction of the heritage sites calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to ensure their perpetuity.
The heritage sites, she said, have a solid irreplaceable historical value that must be jealously guarded against human activities.
“The human activity at Manga, Kisii is intense and will rob the region of its historical significance,” Baraza said.
In Western Kenya, she decried the current sorry state of Kit Mikayi.
“It has dried up of its teats. The forest around it has been depleted. Other sites across the country are slowly degenerating due to a lack of a regulatory framework to ensure they are protected,” she said.
Baraza said insufficient funding lies at the base of the troubles facing the sector.
“Heritage sites provide sites for education and research and thus there should be adequate funding for the same,” she told the Star.
Samuel Kiriama, a lecturer at the university, urged devolved units to allocate funds that can help in heritage conservation efforts.
“The funding is quite minimal but can be increased,” Kiriama said.
In Kisii, he deplored the destruction of Got Chak in Tabaka, South Mugirango.
Other sites he said need to be protected are Ngoro ya Mwaga atop Manga escarpment.
“These areas can attract tourists who can pay the community,” Kiriama said.
He also mentioned posho mills and rivers that had been vandalized.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris