Dancing to the tune of opportunities –human settlements aligned to share the jackpot of Kenya's coastal tourism benefits spoil the broth

Abstract

This paper highlights how human settlements aligned themselves to share the benefits to arise from coastal tourism development in the Kenya coast, but have come to bedevil the industry through poor management of domestic waste. The study area comprised of Nyali-Bamburi-Shanzu and Diani-Chale, which are two important tourist destinations in the country. It attempted to establish population numbers in these habitations, the waste loads generated, and how it was managed. The study was accomplished through field visits, library research and application of the World Health Organization (WHO 1989) rapid assessment methods for land, air and water pollution. The relevant data for assessment was obtained from records of population census, bed nights, occupancy, and the waste disposal methods in use. The study revealed that human settlements aligned themselves in clusters inland, reflecting the clusters of the beach hotels dotting the shore line of the Indian Ocean. Large volumes of domestic waste were being generated in both the human settlements and in the hotels. Management of the waste in the settlements was largely on-site and mixed, through the use of both pit latrines and septic-tank/soakage pit systems in the human settlements, and only through septic-tank/soakage pits in the hotel establishments. None of the settlements had wastewater treatment facilities. Only 5 beach hotels had wastewater treatment plants. While the settlements positioned themselves to benefit from the tourism industry, tapping in business and employment opportunities, the arrangement has seemed to spoil the broth as the settlements came to be the main source domestic waste affecting environmental quality and undermining tourism growth and sustainability. Also, through the large number of visitors, during the peak tourist periods, the beach hotels themselves have come contribute to large waste generation. On-site sanitation, it is concluded, is not appropriate for managing domestic waste in coastal areas dependent on good quality environmental to flourish the tourism economic sector. Tourism thrives in areas where the environment is aesthetically appealing; domestic waste undermine. Consequently, it is recommended that innovative approaches are pursued for domestic waste management in order to flourish and sustain the industry. Nyali-Bamburi-Shanzu in Kisauni District of Mombasa County and Diani-Chale in Diani location of the Kwale County, are two of the most frequently visited tourist beach destinations in Kenya. These two areas enjoy a beautiful climate and rainfall pattern in addition to hosting some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the country –attributes that have lured tourists to these areas. Consequently, they now constitute the most developed beaches in the country, dotting with world class hotels, and teeming with a plethora of tourist activities. To tap the benefits of the industry for livelihood and self-development, is a sizeable number of Kenyans, both local, and from other parts of the country, descending here for employment and opportunities for business, provided by the sector. The outcome is the growth of large human settlements with inadequate infrastructure to manage the human waste it generates. This paper reviews the development of tourism as the catalyst for the mushrooming of human settlements in the two areas; the human waste loads generated by the population, including the tourists; the human waste management practices in place, and their effectiveness, before conclusions are drawn on sustaining both tourism and urban settlement coexistence. Favourable weather conditions is the other pull factor for tourism in these areas. The temperature range experienced is 30 to 33 0 C for (air) and 28-29 0 C (sea water) for most part of the year. A high cloud cover and wind energy that occurs during the SouthEast Monsoon period, decrease temperatures up to 25 0 C for sea water and 24 0 C for air, Muthiga 2001, attributes that enhance the appeal. Similarly, though the local variability of the current patterns has not been studied, lagoon currents are known to be weak, Munga et al., 2006; making planning for tourist tours and on-water activities very favourable. Kisauni and Diani are also largely located in the coastal lowland belt, availing extensive flat areas –suitable