Kilifi’s Kijiji Village to serve Kenyan dishes

Afrika Kijiji village Director Carol Anami [left] and a local tourist Christine Wanjiru prepare food at the lodge. The facility specialises in African traditional food. (Omondi Onyango, Standard)

Television actress and restaurateur Carol Anami is set to unveil an exclusive local menu depicting Kenya’s diverse culinary delights at her Africa Kenya Village (Kijiji) in Mtwapa, Kilifi County.

The hotel will serve traditional dishes from all over Kenya in a bid to give visitors an unrivalled culinary experience.

“We in the hospitality sector are heeding calls for innovation and diversification from our Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala hence the new addition at Kijiji Village,” Anami told Weekend Business.

She said she is finalising the expanded menu with help from Head Chef Maxwell Chogo before its official unveiling next month.

“We have travelled the length and breadth of our nation to get the best traditional recipes and promise clients an unforgettable authentic dining experience,” she said.

The concept has excited stakeholders in the hospitality industry who have welcomed the initiative to offer an exclusive and authentic traditional Kenyan menu.

“We are looking at enhancing visitor experience and what the owners of Afrika Kijiji Village are intending to do is laudable,” Kenya Coast Tourist Association (KCTA) Chairman Victor Shitakah said.

He added that KCTA is keen to create more unique experiences to help boost visitor confidence.

“Comments we received from visiting delegates after hosting the global Skal Congress right here in Mombasa were pleasing and we need to sustain the tempo,” he said.

Shitakah is also president of Skal Kenya (Coast).

Kenya Association of Hotel keepers and Caterers Coast branch executive officer Sam Ikwaye said people are getting more concerned about their diet and lifestyle to avoid health complications.

“Culture in itself is also an attraction that has been preserved but most places do not meet the authentic  preparation  of traditional foods,” he said.

“An investment into real authentic food to match the traditional ambience  and set up such as what Afrika Kijiji Village is set to offer will be an unbeatable experience.”

Ikwaye said the promotion of local cuisine is one way in which investors in the tourism and hospitality industry can empower local communities.

“In the past, we have heard of ‘mukimo’ enhanced by food colours but the traditional cuisine prepared in authentic environments is sweet and highly nutritious,” he said.

Kenya’s diversity, he said, can also be harnessed and visitors will be able to sample traditional culture as well as cuisine which is becoming rare today because of urbanisation.

“Traditional cuisine offered in traditional setting is the best way to preserve our local culture. We need to package what we offer distinctively and market it,” Ikwaye said.