Ministry plans to construct four more waterfronts

Tourism CS Najib Balala with government and World Rally Championship officials, after touring Hellsgate National Park in Naivasha, yesterday. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The government has embarked on construction of four more waterfronts along various water bodies to shore up tourism numbers.

Two months after construction of the Mama Ngina water front in Mombasa County, the government said funds had been set aside for the projects.

According to Tourism CS Najib Balala, Mombasa will have an additional water front while the rest will be constructed in Malindi, Naivasha and Kisumu.

Mr Balala said the additional water front will be constructed at the Jomo Kenyatta public beach that is frequented by thousands of residents.

“We are working closely with other government departments to ensure the waterfronts are constructed on time,” he said.

Balala said the water front in Naivasha will be constructed on land owned by Kenya Wildlife Service that borders the lake.

Fact finding

The CS was speaking to the press when he toured Hellsgate National Park on a fact finding mission ahead of the much awaited world event. He at the same time said they were working on security measures to ensure the park’s gorges are safe for all before they are opened to the public.

Last week, stakeholders and environmental experts expressed reservations over the planned construction of a Sh300m waterfront in Lake Naivasha. According to the chairman Lake Naivasha Water Resources User Association Enock Kiminta, the waterfront could hurt the lake. “An environmental impact assessment should be done before this project is carried out, we fear it may have negative effects,” he said.