Fort Jesus to be protected by Sh500m seawall

Section of the Mombasa's Fort Jesus Sea Wall in Mombasa County. [Maarufu Mohamed,Standard]

The historic Fort Jesus has finally been secured from erosion after the construction of a seawall on the eastern side facing the Indian Ocean. 

The Sh500 million seawall, which was built by the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), was handed over last week to Sports, Culture and National Heritage Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed by Yong Yang Property Ltd director Chen Leijia.

The wall, whose construction started about two years ago, will be officially commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta later this year.

“The contractor has been asked to build a staircase to the seawall to allow the President to commission it. Otherwise the project is complete and has been handed over to the Government,” said an NMK official.

Fort Jesus was declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and highlighted as one of the most outstanding and well-preserved examples of 16th Century Portuguese military fortifications.

It is Mombasa's most visited tourist attraction.

The wall, whose construction courted much controversy between NMK and the County Government, was meant to protect the 500-year-old fort from falling into the ocean after the first wall built by the Portuguese was washed away by the sea years ago.

NMK Director General Mzalendo Kibunjia had defended the construction of the controversial protective wall, arguing that there was a real threat of waves eating into the base of the monument built on coral rock without a foundation.

He explained that countries like Oman had seawalls to protect property from destruction by waves and that Mombasa was not an exception.

Dr Kibunjia said construction of a watertight enclosure that would be pumped dry to permit construction of the seawall, commonly known as a cofferdam, was what had caused hue and cry over the project.

According to Kibunjia, the cofferdam was a temporary structure that would be pulled down immediately the wall was completed.