They include the heritage complex, at the museum, which showcases coastal ethnography, cultural information, the house of columns, the Portuguese chapel and the Vasco Da Gama Pillar. “Our visitors coming to Malindi have the advantage of using one ticket to access four national monuments,” she said. Kamuye called on all tourists both locals and international, to visit the Vasco Da Gama Pillar to enjoy the experience and the lovely serenity.

She said the restoration entailed a lot of work with expensive materials since the monument is located in a marine environment. “This moment we are on the ground with a team from the government Service Delivery Unit to see if the money invested has gone into the intended purpose,” she said. Kamuye said part of the funds were used to set up parapet walkways, an ablution block and a pavement to enable people with disability to access the monument and add to their visitors’ comfort. She said the government had invested heavily to restore the monument, including the sea wall to prevent the monument from collapsing. “By then Malindi was trading with India so Vasco Dagama’s arrival to Malindi enabled him to work with a pilot from Malindi Captain Majid to find the sea route to India,” she said. National Museums of Kenya Curator in charge of Malindi Doris Kamuye said the Vasco Dagama Pillar was the oldest monument in Africa that was built in 1498 when the Portuguese was traversing the ocean to find the sea route to India. The pillar which at one point was on the verge of collapsing, is now fully repaired and modern pathways set up together with modern toilets, areas for people with disabilities, sitting areas and general beatification to make the site more attractive. Some of the hawkers however got a reprieve after Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi gave out portable stalls for them to use outside the entrance for tourists to have ease of access to buying products.Ī team from the government Service Delivery Unit was in Malindi to inspect the project and expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the project was implemented and completed. To bring sanity to the operations at the ancient pillar, National Museums of Kenya moved out hawkers from the site and are setting up a gate to ensure tourists enjoy their visit. The Ancient Vasco Da Gama Pillar which dates back to 1498 and acts as a key world historical site, has gotten a major facelift after the government refurbished it at a cost of Sh59 million.Īlready the project is complete in the wake of the high tourism season which begins next month for tourists both locals and international to come and enjoy the rich history of the resort town.

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