UNESCO
Lamu Old Town was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO's World Heritage Centre in December 2001.
UNESCO describes it as:
“The oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, retaining its traditional functions. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas and elaborated carved wooden doors”.
Management of Lamu Old Town Heritage Site
As a UNESCO Heritage Site the town is protected by international law from anything that could destroy or harm the reasons for its status, such as that described above. The protection and management of the site is undertaken locally by both the National Museums of Kenya representative's on Lamu and Lamu County Council
The daily running of the site, and those monuments and museums within it, is the charge of the National Museums of Kenya. This is overseen by the Senior Curator of Lamu Museum, Mr Athman Hussein Athman. The day to day tasks faced by this half of the sites management team cover things from accounts to project implementation.
The legislative half of the site is handled by Lamu County Council. This includes supervision of any physical alterations to be made to the Old Town, or its buildings. For example demolition and rebuilding should not take place without the plans first being approved by the UNESCO accredited members of the Council.
The World Heritage Site office is located at Lamu Fort, where the Senior Curator oversees operations. The Fort also houses the Old Town Conservation Office and the Education Office. Lamu Museums also runs the Lamu Information Centre, with funds partially donated by the American Embassy. Community education projects are run from The Centre. It is here also that the Lamu Museum's Computer Programmer is based.
Contact details:
WHS Office
Lamu Fort
Tel: +254-42-633402, Fax: +254-42-633402
Email: lamumuseum@hotmail.com