The tourism Industry is set to continue its upward trajectory as it seeks to recover from the impact of Covid-19 after the government resolved to reopen museums.
Culture and Heritage PS Josephta Mukobe announced that The National Museums would reopen all heritage sites across the country on Monday, September 13, 2020.
Speaking during a tour of of cultural sites in Malindi, Kilifi County, she said that visitors would be expected to adhere to all Covid-19 safety guidelines including wearing of face masks, sanitizing and social distancing.
"We have written to the Ministry of Health, now that we cannot close forever. Life must continue and we must find ways to work with Covid-19," she explained.
The National Museums of Kenya has not earned any revenue since it closed all its cultural and heritage sites across the country.
The country has many treasures spread across the country, with some facilities being marked as world heritage sites by UNESCO.
Fort Jesus is one of the three cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kenya. The 16th-century fort designed to guard the Old Port of Mombasa was inscribed into the list in 2011.
Many exhibits on display in Kenya's museums represent the material culture of the various ancient communities in the context in which the items are used.
Other than the items on display, some of the museums are also used as venues for weddings, meetings and movie productions.
The Karen Blixen Museum, named after Baroness Karen Blixen, is famed for the “Out of Africa” film.
The Oscar winning film was based on Karen’s autobiography by the same title.
In the city centre of Nairobi, at the junction of Uhuru Highway and Kenyatta Avenue, in a small, old colonial building, one can see the Old Government House, which served as the colonial governor's office.
Today, the building is a national monument and serves as a museum holding temporary art exhibitions.
Kenya has also embarked on the construction of an underwater museum at the Coast that is set to be completed in 2022 as the government aims to attract more tourists in the country.
The museum will be the first in Sub-Saharan Africa and will serve as Africa’s educational centre for underwater archaeology.
