Why
is it that the most beautiful natural features in Kenya are limited to local and international tourists, who have to cough up money to enjoy the
most spectacular parts of God-given
landscapes and wildlife?
Granted,
some of the natural features, such as animals in parks, need confinement, but why would the best parts of the Indian Ocean and Lakes
region be confined?
The confinement I am
talking about is confinement by mostly luxurious hotels that surround these natural features.
Take
any country endowed with lakes and open to the sea in Western countries. Those areas are never confined. In fact, they build roads and rail
systems near these water bodies.
It is nature that surrounds these water bodies and not big
hotels; big hotels are mostly somewhere nearby,
where they can serve their guests with stunning views, and that’s all.
Meanwhile,
to really enjoy the best of the Kenyan Coast, where the beach is not crowded, you might need to cough up a lot of money to access that shore
through a hotel.
To really enjoy the lakes in Rift Valley, the same restrictions apply. Even the
open land near these features is fenced,
sometimes with electric barricades, so you can only view them from minimal public access.
I’m
trying to make sense out of my argument here, because the majority should enjoy
natural features in the maximum way. How some countries ensure this is by
building public amenities in
most points of access to these beautiful God-given natural assets.
Think of
Lake Naivasha, for instance. While it is one of the most stunning freshwater
lakes in Kenya, private
properties, flower farms, or high-end lodges take up a majority of its
shoreline.
For
the average Kenyan family hoping for a weekend picnic by the lake, options are often limited to a few crowded public points like Karagita
beach, where the experience can be far from serene.
The same is true for Lake Elementaita, where pink flamingo spectacles are mostly visible from lodge compounds or paid-entry
conservancies.
At
the Coast, iconic stretches of Diani and Watamu are lined with private resorts,
meaning the
most pristine, quiet spots are hidden behind gates and security guards. It’s
almost ironic that
a fisherman from Kilifi may never freely walk the length of his own coastline
without bumping
into a “Private Beach” sign.
Contrast
this with countries such as Portugal or Australia, where laws protect coastal
access for all
citizens, ensuring uninterrupted beach walks for kilometres. In Kenya, the
absence of strong
public access policies means locals are often treated as outsiders in their own homeland.
Nature’s
gifts, such as beaches, lakes, and open landscapes, should not be luxuries for
the few,
but treasures for all. Kenya must find a way to open these gates, quite
literally, so every citizen
can freely enjoy what God and nature freely gives.
