Page 49 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 31

Tourism
people whose ancient nomadic culture and way
of life are so popular globally that you can’t miss
hearing about them even if you have never been
to Kenya. In my case, I read about the Massai in
my history class in my secondary school days.
Interestingly, back then the name Kenya never
stayed in my mind but the name Maasai stuck like
glue.
And then you have Mt Kenya, the Aberdares,
Nairobi National Park, Tsavo National Park,
Amboseli, Marsabit National Park in the north of
Kenya close to Kenya’s border with Ethiopia, the
list is very long. We lived in Marsabit for about
five months. Most of these tourist
places are within the inland of Kenya
and they all have their unique beauty
and how they influence the thoughts
of tourists who come into Kenya at
various times of the year. I have only
visited a few places myself.
The coast of Kenya is also blessed
with several tourist towns and
attractions. One of the coastal legends
is easily Mombasa Old Town where
you find Fort Jesus and there are
several other interesting sites located
in the coastal counties of the country.
These include Malindi town in Kilifi
County, which is just after Mombasa
County.
History of Malindi
Malindi, located about 120 km
northeast of Mombasa, is one of the
most famous tourist towns along the
coast and is now the second largest
city on the Indian Ocean coast of
Kenya after Mombasa. The population
was 208,000 inhabitants in 2009 and is
located in County Kilifi which, again
in 2009, had a population of 1.11
million.
It is an ancient coastal town founded
around the 1st century AD as an
Arabic settlement and trading post,
probably at Mambrui, North of the
river Sabaki.
Although known under the Portuguese
name of Melinde, some claim the
origin of the Swahili name of Mali
ISSUE 31 | NOVEMBER 2024 49