In Watamu, more than a hundred people, led by the Watamu Marine Association together with the Kenya Wildlife service, challenged the beach bans and celebrated World Oceans Day with a beach cleaning exercise during which 969 kilos of plastic and other waste from the sea were collected.
"We were in good company," explains Steve Trott of the Watamu Marine Association, "with KWS and over 100 members of the Watamu community was the NEMA maritime team. We all wore masks and protective gloves to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus.
All the plastic collected was taken to the Ecoworld recycling centre, where it will be shredded and sold to companies that reuse it. Every local citizen who participated in the collection received Kes. 500 as a contribution from the Watamu Marine Association as part of its "Cash 4 Trash" program, which aims to help the needy families of the town in this period of Covid-19 that has completely wiped out tourism and with it all forms of livelihood, including the many induced that in a place that lives on the occasional presence of those on holiday are the main form of income for many.
As President Uhuru Kenyatta recalled last Saturday and reiterated the county's police authorities, going to the beach, walking and stopping along the coast is still forbidden, while for the use of sea soil (for boats or water sports) the competent authority is the Kenya Wildlife Service and you can ask for a special permit.
Therefore, both in Malindi as in Watamu, Diani and other coastal resorts, those who go to the beach and stop or walk there risk a fine and, if they do not comply with the Covid-19 rules (mask and social distances) also arrest and quarantine in government centres for 14 days.