Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore will
sell his luxurious properties in Malindi if the "dirty, smelly" town does not improve.
Briatore, who owns Billionaire and
Lion in the Sun resorts,
warned on Wednesday that he will not invest until changes are made.
He noted investors are frustrated by poor roads and the stink due to uncollected garbage.
The businessman said these have affected operations, as most clients complain, yet authorities are not doing anything to make the Coastal area clean and more attractive to tourists.
"We are tired of complaining," said
the investor who has been on holiday in Malindi since December 27.
"The town is very dirty and smelly and its roads have many potholes. Why isn't the county doing anything to attracts tourists to the resort town which is a major tourist destination?"
Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore at his Billionaire Resort in Malindi town, Kilifi county, with one of the senior managers, Janaury 3, 2018. /Alphonce Gari
In an interview at Billionaire Resort,
Briatore noted nothing has changed for more than 10 years and that development has also been affected.
"Investors do not go to dirty towns," he said, adding visitors "get fed up after five minutes because of this".
“We need confidence to attract investors. We came back to Malindi but nothing has changed. Roads have potholes, the town is still dirty. In another 10 years we will be forced to close shop or sell our properties.
“Coast is a disaster. The roads are terrible ... the big issue in Coast is hospitality ... nobody wants to invest ... we do not know what will happen in two years.”
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Briatore added he and others were waiting for the government to "open up" the town as "authorities are sleeping on their jobs".
He spoke of the delay in the
expansion of the airport, saying investors have opted for other destinations which are easier to access.
The businessman revealed that Alitalia Airlines will fly to Kenya three or four times a week from February. But he said tourists need connecting flights to the Coast as Malindi airport has not been expanded.
“Nobody wants to fix the airport. It's been more than 10 years yet nobody wants to do something. Somebody wanted it built near Tsavo ... it’s a big problem."
Briatore said it is Governor Amason Kingi’s responsibility to fix the town.
“If nothing changes, we will give give a penny. We pay salaries and bring experts from Europe to train many people."
But he said they were satisfied with security and commended officers "for a job well done".
Briatore noted they suffered due to the prolonged elections season as many bookings were cancelled. But he expressed confidence that President Uhuru Kenyatta will ensure normalcy and tourists' confidence are restored.