Why the paradise of Lamu’s Shela island is lost

By HansLiving in Kenya has a big advantage because all one needs to enjoy its most beautiful sites is a few days off and some little cash. Two weeks ago, I took a little break and drove down to the magical island of Lamu. I was last here three years ago and the town’s friendly and outgoing people had touched me. The wazees love to sit around the large town square in front of the Fort in the heart of Lamu’s town, now part of the National Museums of Kenya.The young Turks on the other hand, love to loiter around the seafront catching up on the day’s events while hiring out their boats and small dhows for fishing and daytrips.My most favourite spot then was Shela Island. It boasts a non-‘touristy’ laid back atmosphere with its beautifully renovated houses and pristine beach.Many speedboatsI was surprised to discover that a lot had changed since my last visit. When I got to Mokowe, which is the last stop on the mainland before getting to the island via a boat, the sight of so many speedboats took me aback. The old styled small ones with outdoor motors that chuck slowly but surely towards the islands are fast being phased out. I felt a sense of disconnect between these modern speedboats with the serenity of the Lamu archipelago. A residential house on Shela Island where the rich and famous dwell. Photo: Omondi Onyango/StandardIn this new Lamu, the young lads act as captains and constantly race each other towards the island. Thankfully, passengers are fitted with life vests (another new development) to protect them against any misadventure. While on the island, I heard stories of several speedboats capsising in the ocean.I took a motorboat, not to Lamu town, but to Shela Island, a former fisherman’s village that only has about 1,500 inhabitants. The staff of where I was scheduled to stay awaited my arrival at the jetty to welcome us and take care of our luggage. Once safely in dry land, we marched through the narrow streets, most of them plastered now, some beautifully with cut-coral stones.Prince augustOn arrival, we were offered refreshing juice. I was booked on a rooftop apartment and when I got there, I got a rude shock. This was not the Shela I remembered. All around us construction was going on and a vision of the building boom in Shanghai came to my mind. Although the Island is still a hideout for the rich and famous like Prince August of Hanover (the Peugeot family) for whom spending Sh60 million for a small house is not a problem. Here, renting a six-bedroom house can cost you Sh170,000 a day during the high season, plus a daily supplement of Sh5,000 per person for meals, without drinks of course.This jet-set community own residences all over the world including Shela Island. In the last couple of years, the island has developed into one of the most expensive real estates in Kenya, more costly than Muthaiga or Karen.Not too long ago, the residents of Shela Island were poor cousins to Lamu but today, a number of them have become wealthy by selling their family plots for millions.

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Why the paradise of Lamu’s Shela island is lost

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