This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
December 12, 2019
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has sparked a fierce debate over a proposed multibillion luxury hotel project in Watamu, Kilifi county. The project, estimated to cost Sh28 billion, has been approved by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) but Balala has written to the authority seeking to revoke the license.
According to Balala, the 61-storey skyscraper is to be developed on a small plot in Watamu, which he claims is not suitable for such a massive project. He has already given his objection to NEMA and insists that the project should be built in a more suitable location such as Nairobi or Mombasa.
However, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya has accused Balala of personal interests and fronting for a few hoteliers in Watamu who fear that the mega project will dwarf their establishments. Baya claims that some foreign investors who fear that the proposed project will block them from the scenic Indian Ocean have sought the intervention of the CS to have the project stopped.
“I’m aware that some foreign investors who fear that the proposed project will dwarf their small hotels and block them from the scenic Indian Ocean have sought the intervention of the CS to have the project stopped. But instead of Balala being straight forward, he has chosen to hide behind environment to fight the project on their behalf. This is nonsense!” the MP pointed out.
The project, trading as Palm Exotica, will entail a 270-bedroom five-star hotel, a high-end shopping mall, executive offices, apartments, a casino, and restaurants. Environmental consultants have reportedly dispelled fears that the facility will have undesired effects on the coastal ecosystem, and NEMA seems to have agreed with the consultant’s report and ignored Balala’s protest.
“The project will be carried out on the second row from the beach and will therefore not interfere much with the nearby marine ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs,” the experts said in the project’s environmental study.
