The Island is sparsely populated and undeveloped. There are no cars or
roads. A site of early Swahili civilization, this coral island is
occupied by the Vumba people, an indigenous group of Bantu speaking
peoples who have a rich history. They speak Swahili and Kivumba and they
number about 1500. Mkwiro and Wasini are the two villages present on
the island - each at opposite ends. Their history includes invasion and
settlement of Arab influence from the Persian Gulf states, and from the
island of Zanzibar, further south.
Paradoxically, the island is some
10 km from the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park. This park annually
attracts many thousands of overseas and local tourists per year. The
Kenya Wildlife Service monitors activities and there is a per visitor
entry fee. These fees are not recirculated currently within the auspices
of the collection area - instead they are remitted to Headquarters in
Nairobi. The majority of visitors arrive on prepaid packages organised
outside of the Island and outside of Shimoni. The larger operators are
foreign owned. Many such organisations claim to operate responsible
tourism - eco tourism. The tourist numbers generated in the area over
the years are not monitored for environmental or socio economic impact.
Shimoni, across the channel, is the stopping off point to reach this island, and is some 75 km south of Mombasa.
Women
groups on the island have established a nature walk in the beautiful
coral gardens on the Western end. Proceeds help needy Wasini students
and other Wasini benefactors. On the northern end there is a well
established, but rudimentary orphanage. These indigenous Non Government
Organisations and self-help groups supplement an activity across the
water at Shimoni whereby visitors frequent the "Shimoni Slave Caves" - a
community based project. Though it is questionable to what extent and
what part both locations played in the Slave Trade, it
