It is all systems go for the upcoming Mashujaa Day fete which will be held in Mombasa on Sunday.
The annual celebrations, held in honour of Kenyan independence heroes, will take place at the newly renovated Mama Ngina Waterfront Park.
President Uhuru Kenyatta will also officially commission the Park, named after his mother, as part of the day’s activities.
The facility is located along Mama Ngina Drive and is managed by the Mama Ngina Waterfront Board. The board was in charge of its refurbishment and will also be tasked with maintaining the project that is part of the government’s efforts to boost tourism to the coast.
According to the government, the park’s rehabilitation cost a whooping Ksh433 million. Restaurants, entertainment, and recreational facilities are set to to be established to service visitors.
This year's Mashujaa Day celebrations will be held at the Mama Ngina Sea Front in Mombasa County. The National Government has invested KES. 433 Million to upgrade the venue into a world class leisure and recreation facility. #GoKDelivers ^LC pic.twitter.com/GT1U8RULjw
— PDU Delivery (@PDUDelivery) October 17, 2019
Among the key features in the park are a lighthouse, a 1000 seater amphitheatre, and a Cultural Centre.
The Mama Ngina Waterfront Park also has three prominent pigeon towers named after the coastal Wakilindini, Wachangamwe and Watangana communities.
The Park sits on 126 acres of land.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said that the government expects the park to attract close to 2 million visitors over the December Holidays.
Mombasa residents are, however, not thrilled about the upcoming celebrations following the recent Likoni Ferry Tragedy where a mother and her daughter died after their vehicle slipped off a ferry just a few metres from the waterfront.
Traders and truckers in the area have also threatened to boycott the celebrations and instead hold demonstrations to protest what they term as unfair competition from the Standard Gauge Railway in cargo transport between Mombasa and Nairobi.