The Mijikenda are linguistically and culturally related Bantu speakers who live in the coastal and immediate coastal hinterland of the Kenyan coast. In their oral traditions, the Mijikenda claim that they migrated from their original homeland of Singwaya, thought to be in modern day southern Somalia, to settle in their present day land.

Entrance to the Kaya

The Mijikenda settled in nine individually fortified hilltop villages or Kayas along the ridge behind the Kenyan coast. The sites of the original Kaya settlements were maintained by local communities led by their elders as sacred places and burial grounds.

The cutting of trees and destruction of vegetation around these sites was prohibited, the main aim being to preserve the surrounding Kaya forest as a screen or buffer for the forest clearings. Thus while the surrounding areas were gradually converted to farmland, the Kaya sites remained as the few remaining patches of indigenous forests and man made landscapes.

Graves

In many cases, the Kaya elders committees still exist. In most Kayas, ceremonies including prayers for good harvest, fertility, rains, healing, peace and others for the good of the community are held. The Kaya is still regarded as the ultimate reference of the customs and identity of the people and was classified a World Heritage site in 2009.

However, the Kaya are threatened by both cultural and socio-economic changes that have lead to a decline in knowledge and respect for traditional values within Mijikenda culture. To protect them, the French Embassy, through its Social Fund for Development, decided to support Rabai Kaya Conservation Association’s ecotouristic project, aiming at conserving the ecological and cultural heritage of the site.

Garero, leader of the elders and an active member of the project

Drawn up by the National Museums of Kenya- Fort Jesus Museum in partnership with the French Institute for Research and Development (IRD) and the beneficiaries, the project includes four income-generating activities: reforestation, bee-keeping, herbal medicine culture and, of course, guided tours of the Kaya. The money generated by these activities will allow for the funding of local projects, such as schools and dispensaries.

On December 19, 2009, the project was handed over to the community by H.E. Mrs Elisabeth Barbier, in presence of representatives from the National Museums of Kenya, UNESCO, local government and elders.