The newly renovated Mama Ngina Waterfront park in Mombasa is a treasure trove for tourists visiting the area, combining its beautiful scenery with relics of the town's rich history, and culture of its people.
For centuries now, the park has morphed from being the first human settlement to a key route in the complex East African slave and ivory trade, then to a military base, and finally to a recreational facility.
A walk inside the park reveals valuable cultural and historical structures. There are also military objects left after World War 2.
According to the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), the park is home to ancient ruins that tell the tales of wars fought between 1590 and 1936. The relics of the military structures date back to the period of the Portuguese, the Arab replacement in the 1600s and during the 1895 British occupation.
To date, one can see the British-built bunkers, observation towers, and tunnels used in preparation for the Second World War around 1936, situated right at the beachfront.
Most tourists who tour the area enjoy watching the ships leaving or entering the port of Mombasa, passengers boarding the ferries, or the baobab trees. NMK records indicate that 30 surveys have been conducted in the area between Fort St Joseph, a golf course, and the ferry terminus.
NMK officials say baobab trees are proof of settlement of Swahili tribes like the Wa-kilindini, Wa-changamwe, and Wa-tangana, who settled between the 10th and 12th centuries.
Near the Mombasa golf course and the ferry terminus, one can see the largest century-old Baobab trees in the Coast region.
Ahmed Kassim, a tour guide at the park, says ruins of houses found in the area are also walls of the medieval town called Tuaca.
"Other than their medicinal and nutritional values, baobab leaf fibres were used to make ropes for sea-going vessels, while husks made containers for drawing water," says Kassim.
Most of the trees are found in gravesites and, according to Kassim, they were markers representing the rebirth of the dead, especially for important people who lived in the area.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta officiated the opening of the Sh460 million upgraded park on October 20, 2019.
Ali Nuru Ali, the Parks National Coordinator says that to date, the area continues to attract many visitors who come to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and fresh breeze coming from the Indian Ocean.
"The iconic seaside public park sits on 26 acres overlooking the Kilindini Channel in Mombasa. It has now been transformed into an integrated urban tourist attraction site with all the hallmarks of a popular relaxation place," he says.
Refurbishment works on the park by Mombasa-based firm Suhufi Agencies included landscaping and paving the waterfront with concrete blocks, construction of a state-of-the-art amphitheatre, construction of the Swahili Cultural Centre, ablution blocks, and two main gates.
"We have visitors, mostly locals and tourists alike visiting the park every day. During school holidays like the recent long December to January holidays, the whole park was full to the brim with visitors enjoying themselves," he says.
Visitors are spoilt for choice and can choose to take a ride on a horse, sit next to the waterfront and watch as vessels enter or leave the Port of Mombasa, sample cultural exhibitions, shop, dine at open-air fresco restaurants and cafes or relax.
Its three-kilometre long stretch serves as an ideal spot for physical exercise enthusiasts. Ali says locals use the stretch for jogging, speed walking, or taking leisure walks.
A fully-fledged police post stands in one part of the park and Ali confirms that cases of insecurity are now things of the past.
"Before the park upgrade, Mama Ngina was known to harbour all sorts of criminals thus giving this place a bad name. That is now behind us and all and sundry can come and have a really good time here," he says.
While the entire project entailed high mast street lighting and CCTV cameras to both support a 24-hour economy, an initial plan to have jetties for water taxis is yet to be mooted.
The Park under the Ministry of Tourism has a management board to run its affairs with veteran Port and logistic experts and one-time Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director, Brown Ondego chairing it.
Chairperson of the Kenya Association of Women in Tourism (KAWT) Mombasa chapter, Janet Chamia, says the upgrade of Mama Ngina Park was a noble idea.
"Due to the increase in several visitors, it has continued to attract and the sorry state it was, a facelift was necessary. When it happened, it was great news all over," she says.
Chamia says proper and aggressive marketing of the park should be put in place to help bring in more visitors.
To date, there are some 300 traders involved in various trades like selling snacks, commercial photography, leasing toy car, and selling fast food.
The park has a holding capacity of up to 22,000 people, making it the largest public park in Mombasa.
