As darkness settled over the quiet Malindi Town, the tourist town erupted into a sea of flashing lights, roaring engines and booming bass.
The Summertides Festival took Malindi Town by storm as artistes showcased their talents while attendees immersed themselves in merry-making.
Convoys of luxury vehicles rolled through the streets while thousands of young people poured into the beach side venues dressed in bikinis, crop tops and festival wear.
Smartphone lights illuminated the venue as influencers live-streamed every moment. DJs counted down to the next beat, and alcoholic drinks flowed freely under the swaying palm trees.
Malindi Town looked less like the sleepy beach destination known for its rich Swahili culture and Italian influence and more like an international party capital.
But as the music grew louder, so did the controversy. For the festival goers, the festive mood was the ultimate celebration of youth freedom and modern lifestyle tourism.
However, to clerics and other locals, the scenes that unfolded resembled what some described as “Sodom and Gomorrah”, the biblical cities destroyed for their extreme wickedness.
Religious leaders described the scenes as shocking display of heavy drinking, drug abuse, nudity and behaviour that clashed with the cultures of the coastal region.
Bishop Thomas Kakala of the JCC Church, condemned the merry-making, accusing participants of promoting immorality and acts contrary to African and Christian values.
“We condemn the prostitution, homosexuality and the shameful acts that were witnessed during the festival. We have been told people were walking naked in public,” said Bishop Kakala.
The cleric said Summertides should be banned for promoting public indecency and moral decay.
Mobilise believers
Speaking during a prayer meeting at Malindi Town’s Cleopatra Grounds, the religious leaders urged authorities to ensure that similar events are never held in the coastal towns again.
Kakala said the church could not remain silent after witnessing what he described as open prostitution, public nudity and gay behaviour during the festival.
He warned that church leaders would mobilise believers to oppose any future events.
“This year we were caught by surprise and remained silent, but that will not happen again. If such an event is planned again, we will be ready to resist it,” he added.
Sexually explicit videos from the event went viral on social media. One video showed a middle-aged woman being given water after reportedly becoming intoxicated with alcohol.
A young man visibly unconscious from heavy drinking was captured being carried away from the scene by Kenya Red Cross officers.
The festival, which was touted as Kenya’s premier youth tourism destination, attracted visitors from all over the country. Hotels were filled to capacity. Flights into Malindi were fully booked and short-term rentals reportedly recorded full occupancy.
Images and videos circulating online showed young men and women drinking openly and wearing outfits that clerics considered inappropriate.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community were also part of the festivities.
Clerics said that while Malindi is a leading tourism destination, entertainment activities should respect local culture and public decency.
They appealed to relevant government agencies responsible for licensing such events and security agencies to ensure future events comply with the laws of the land.
Completely naked
Bishop Patrick Mathole of the Soul Harvest Ministries recounted scenes he witnessed at Lost Beach, the venue of the three-day festival.
“My children asked me why some women were walking completely naked while young men were half-naked. I had no answers. We have never witnessed such behaviour in our region,” he said.
Mathole said such acts should not be imported into Kenya under the guise of entertainment.
“We cannot copy everything from the West and make it our way of life. To those behind the Summertides festival, let this be the last time such scenes are witnessed in Malindi,” he said.
Bishop Macharia Gichui urged parents, teachers, clergy and elders to work together in instilling moral values in young people. He condemned sponsors of the event for allowing youngsters to engage in what, he said, were immoral activities.
“We have seen children walking naked in our town, something that goes against our traditions and the teachings of the church,” he said.
Some of those who attended the event described the scenes as immoral. “That place looked like Sodom and Gomorrah,” said Jane Kerani.
She added that there were incidents of sexual harassment for women who were wearing short clothes.
At the entrance of the event, there were large boxes of condoms.
“People who met at the venue for the first time had sex,” she said.
At the event, the attendees were provided with wrist bands either labeled “single”, “taken” or “for the streets”.
The location was in a hidden area with surrounded by trees and a nearby bush, providing free “green lodges”
A social media influencer accused women from Nairobi of flaunting fake expensive lifestyle despite.
“Nairobi women the only thing you can afford is an iPhone. Imagine following men and requesting them to spend time at their villa with an excuse that your accommodation is far from the venue,” he said.
Notably, many of the women who attended to extravaganza did not have a place to sleep and food to eat.
‘’Many girls were sharing cheap rooms of as low as Sh300 while others resorted to randomly sleeping with men in exchange for favours,” added the influencer.
The unlucky ones slept on the beaches.
But for business owners, the Summetides was a godsend. Tourism investor Peninah Mutua said the festival injected money into the local economy.
‘’It really boosted the economy from transport to food and accommodation,” she said.
As the dust settles, the annual summertides festival has once again thrust Kenya’s tourism industry into the national spotlight sparking a wider debate over morality, culture, youth identity and the future of entertainment tourism.