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A Guide to Watamu:

The Watamu Association - A brief write-up.

Practical Issues

Watamu Causes:

 

In the early 1990s, Watamu was struggling to cope with the tourist boom, which suddenly engulfed what had been a fairly sleepy and quiet coastal village.

Two new hotels were built, while others changed hands and expanded. The amenities in the area were inadequate to deal with the influx of people and businesses. The local population more than doubled in a few years, not to mention the additional transient tourist population.

During this time several Watamu residents realised the need for a ‘Residents Association’, to try and ensure that Watamu remained unspoilt and could cope with the ‘development boom’. The people of our area have lived in harmony with each other and nature for generations, but the tourist boom was starting to change this.

12th Century ruins at Temple PointWatamu is a place to be proud of. We have a Marine Park (the first in the country established in 1968), a Marine Reserve, encompassing Mida Creek and extending up to the Malindi Marine Park. The Arabuko Sokoke Forest, (420 sq kms) is the largest indigenous coastal forest remaining in East Africa. A variety of ancient monument sites including Gede ruins are all within our boundaries. This whole area has been declared a UN Biosphere Reserve of which there are relatively few in the world.

Most of our beach is totally unspoilt thanks to the care and protection of local residents.

Registration took time and patience by founder members to implement. During this stage the group the group called itself the ‘Friends of Watamu’. This name aptly describes the base of the Watamu Association. In 1994 we were registered and the Watamu Association was born. Since then our Association has gone from strength to strength. Some of our achievements include:

  • Raising funds and implementing the building our Police Station in Watamu.
  • Supporting and keeping our Police Officers mobile.
  • Assisting with the upkeep of the Police Station.
  • Regular security liaisons.
  • A Neighbourhood Watch programme
  • Providing resources for the Kenya Wildlife Service.
  • Repairing and beautifying our roads.
  • Collecting litter from the beach and roadside.
  • Maintaining an effective Ambulance service.
  • Building and repairing schools.
  • Work with local clinics.
  • Ensuring Watamu received water on a regular basis for the first time ever.
  • Regular contact with the Authorities in an attempt to ensure that services are given to Watamu

There are many other projects in the pipeline or being implemented.
In 2000, the Watamu Association became a founder member of KARA (the Kenya Alliance of Residence Associations).

All of this has been possible because of the unstinting efforts of a number of individuals under the Association umbrella and the generosity of its members.

The membership of the Association is becoming more and more representative of the whole of our resident community.

We therefore also represent a very large proportion of the rate paying community of Watamu.

The Watamu Association is determined to see that this beautiful place is not spoilt and most importantly, Watamu remains a home we can all be proud of,………… a secure and pleasant place to live, for everyone.


 

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