| Welcome to Kilifi. We are very pleased to welcome you to our online home. Kilifi
as you will see throughout this website is a very beautiful place. We have
excellent white sand beaches as well an excellent general ambience and
atmosphere that is welcoming. Many who come here for the purpose of vacation end
up coming back to live here permanently. As such we have a very considerable
expatriate community. We are also blessed to have Africa's top medical research
institute - the Kenya Medical Research institute (KEMRI). Recently another
feather was added to our cap to establish us as the premier learning centre in
the Coast when we became the first place in Coastal Kenya to have a university.
These developments have triggered off great growth in Kilifi as a town.
Construction work is going on everywhere you look. Buildings, hostels, roads and
much more - all to be able to make this blessed growth manageable. Banks that
had closed their doors in Kilifi due to slow business came rushing back to enjoy
the boom. New banks are also coming in as news of the Kilifi boom is heard
around the country.
Kilifi has also played host to one of the most prestigious yachting competitions
which is hosted yearly at the Kilifi Boat club. Regular fishing expeditions also
originate from here.
The social scene has not been left out of this boom. Big name artists that were
only seen or heard in the big cities are now weekly attractions in Kilifi. Very
rarely do you see a town go through such major transformation and growth as is
being experienced in Kilifi in a few short years.
Investment opportunities are rife. We have all sorts of incentives and
concessions that we are ready to offer investors to Kilifi. Any investor will
forever be grateful for coming in early because if the signs of the times are
anything to go by, Kilifi is on the move!
We will take you through our beauty as well as our challenges. We want you to
see us the way we are. Particularly we want you to help us to be what we can
become. Our educational system is crumbling under the weight of the pressure of
the free education program. So many students are now in schools but with
inadequate facilities. We have some classes with over 100 students to a teacher.
Things got so bad that the teacher barely has any standing space. As a result of
this growth, we also ran into a major problem with regards to toilet facilities
for the schools. In fact, one of our schools has been asked to close by the
ministry of Health is they do not get new toilets by September.
We also have a major problem with orphans. In fact this is such a prevalent
problem that has reached almost epidemic levels and with more and more parents
dying as a result of HIV AIDS this problem can only grow in magnitude. We also
need programs that will empower our women and youth. Programs that will teach
them skills and that will provide micro credit for them to engage in trades of
their choice.
By and large we are aware that development and building is the collective
responsibility of government, the people, stake holders and friends. Our desire
is for you to see yourself as a friend and your input is greatly welcome and
appreciated.
Once again, welcome to Kilifi.
Lali Omar Sadi
Mayor
and Chairman, Kilifi Town Council |
