Diani: Tourism stakeholders are stepping up efforts to formulate a bill to facilitate sustainable, effective, and inclusive management of beaches in Kwale. A study on the social-economic impact of sand harvesting in Diani Beach and dumping dredged port materials in Shelly Beach informed the bill’s development. The bill seeks to adopt policy and legislative measures to minimize the negative impact of sand harvesting and enhance value in addition to the pristine beach.
According to Kenya News Agency, last year, the World Travels Awards voted Diani Beach the leading beach destination in Africa for the eighth time. If the bill is passed by the Kwale County Assembly, it will promote the conservation of the beach ecosystem, improve the aesthetic value of the beaches, and facilitate coordinated and integrated approach management of operations and activities at the beaches. The bill will also assign various duties to all stakeholders on the beach. A law on beach infrastructure will also be implemented while beach trading would also be investigated.
The bill designated an area to serve as a public beach for the residents of Kwale County. The enactment of the bill is expected to bring a significant positive impact on the coastal environment. The bill will curb sand harvesting, helping to reduce the degradation of the endangered marine ecosystem and enhance tourism.
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Executive Officer Sam Ikwaye said no coastal county has passed legislation for the management of beaches since the advent of devolution. ‘It is imperative as stakeholders we come together and discuss how we can protect these resources,’ stated Dr. Ikwaye during a consultative meeting with tourism stakeholders in Diani. He noted that over the years, agencies undertaking development in the region have made Diani their cheapest source of sand for development.
‘We are objecting to this and that is why we are urging our County Government of Kwale to fast-track the enactment of this bill to have a mechanism in place that we can use to safeguard beach resources,’ expounded Dr. Ikwaye. He further explained that the Dongo Kundu bypass and the expansion of Diani Airport would lead to exponential growth in the tourism town. ‘If we don’t work together as industry stakeholders, particularly those depending on tourism, given that it is the mainstay in this region, we are going to have investments catching up with conservation and we are going to lose our resources,’ Dr. Ikwaye cautioned.
He revealed that Kwale County Governor Fatuma Achani has assured the stakeholders of her unwavering support for ensuring the bill passes in the Assembly. A similar initiative is underway in Mombasa and Kilifi and stakeholders exuded confidence that before the end of the year, the region would have comprehensive legal frameworks for beach management for the posterity of the people and the destinations.
Chairman of the Diani Hospitality Owners Association Sven Kampa encouraged the Kwale County Government to create a safe environment by protecting beach resources to attract more investors. Kampa said the enactment of the bill would give investors’ confidence that their future investments are protected and how the beach would be managed. ‘It’s important that we enact the Beach Management Bill to know our investment is safe and how future investments should be made because without our award-winning beach, we have nothing to sell. It’s the most important resource we have and for the Kwale Government, the most important resource to protect,’ he stated.
Sally Mathenge of South Coast Operators of Tourist Operators, noted that if the bill had been passed, it would have discouraged sand harvesting and controlled the proliferation of illegal structures along the beaches. ‘When they were harvesting, tourists on diving and snorkeling missions in the sea could not see many fish species they were expecting to see,’ said Mathenge.
Lilian Tom, a Tour Operator, said the bill would bring order and conservation of the marine ecosystem. ‘Diani is growing very fast; we have a good name to continue bringing more tourists. This year, most of the hotels are fully booked. We have more tourists visiting, which means the impact on our resources is also high,’ said Tom.