Mombasa, Kenya: Crocs, Snakes and Empowered Artists

Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya. Annie Chen photos.
Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya. Annie Chen photos.

The Sights, Crocs, and the Fort in Mombasa, Kenya’s Second Largest City

By Annie Chen
GoNOMAD Senior Writer

Traditional Omani clothing with their historic curved dagger lie on display at the Oman House.
Traditional Omani clothing with their historic curved dagger lie on display at the Oman House.

As the second-largest city in Kenya, Mombasa held the appeal of not only a scenic beach but also the complex history of the Eastern coast of the nation.

I started my trip at a quintessentially historical site visit to Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site right on the edge of what locals call ‘the island’ part of Mombasa.

After hopping off my tuktuk, I gazed up at the walkway towards the entrance to the fort and approached, passing over the moat and dodging the half-dozen guides eager to poach another customer.

Although one warned me that only M-pesa, the widely-accepted Kenyan mobile money system, was accepted, I was relieved when the cashier accepted my 1,200 KES (a little less than $10 USD) in cash.

The Wide Span of Fort Jesus

Emerging back out into the light, I saw the wide span of the fort in its impressively well-preserved state.

The fort, covering 2.36 hectares, was originally built by the Portuguese in 1593, over the span of three years, in order to protect the city from foreign invaders approaching by sea.

The multi-level fort is at a key strategic trade port on the Eastern coast of Africa.
The multi-level fort is at a key strategic trade port on the Eastern coast of Africa.

I headed towards the left, following the walls and bastions, typical for 16th century warfare, and looked down at the smaller, walled rooms in remarkable condition.

Black cannons pointed outwards of thin slits where I caught a view of Nyali, the larger and newer part of Mombasa, across the bridge. In total, 63 cannons lie inside and outside of the fort, mainly made out of cast iron and bronze.

Strategic Location of the Fort in Mombasa

Due to its strategic location, throughout the centuries, the fort has seen African, European, Turkish, and Persian powers coming through attempting to take over the site for their benefit.

Following the Portuguese, the Arabs, Swahili and British arrived and a long, narrow indoor museum in the middle of the fort held photos, traditional garments, and tools which testified to this history.

Oman House, a Small Museum

At the other end of the grassy courtyard, complete with a long row of parallel cannons, I found myself at the Oman House, a small museum dedicated to the history of the Omani empire during the 17th century in coastal Kenya.

A small model of a dhow, a traditional Arab ship, stands proudly at the entrance. I had to shuffle sideways to fit in the skinny but ornately-carved doors, and inside, found three more small adjoined rooms with Omani jewelry and clothing in glass cases.

A mini replica of a dhow, a traditional Arab ship, stood at the entrance to the Oman House.
A mini replica of a dhow, a traditional Arab ship, stood at the entrance to the Oman House.

Serving as a buffer between the chaos of downtown Mombasa and the fort is several blocks of Mombasa’s old town. At the small turnaround, a traditional coffee pot and cup gifted to the city in 1988 from Burhan Ali Taher lie next to original trolley tracks from 1890.

I remembered to look right first, then left second, as they drive on the opposite side of the road as I’m used to – thanks to the British influence – as I entered yet another UNESCO World Heritage site.

Omani Doors

Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the elaborate Swahili doors and multi-level buildings with balconies looking down on the narrow streets. Similar to, and sometimes referred to as, the Zanzibar or Omani doors, they stand tall with two panels together, usually made of teak wood and oftentimes with flowers or chains lining the sides.

Chains lock from above or below to the wall or the floor, and pointed spikes reveal the South Asian influence. Since elephants were used to ram the doors in India, the carvers imported this combination of aesthetics and functionality, and metal spikes were put in at consistent intervals for the families’ protection.

An unexpected turn led me to the White house, debatably named so because of its painted color while others argue it was so called because it housed the first U.S. consulate from 1915 to 1918.

The famous Pembe za Ndovu (elephant tusks) on the main Moi Avenue are made of aluminum and was originally built in the 1950s to honor visiting British royalty.
The famous Pembe za Ndovu (elephant tusks) on the main Moi Avenue are made of aluminum and was originally built in the 1950s to honor visiting British royalty.

From Mombasa town, I hopped on a boda boda, a motorcycle taxi whose name comes from transporting people “from boda to boda”, and 200 Kenyan shillings (about $1.50 USD) and 20 minutes later across a bottle-necked bridge, I was in Nyali.

crocs down belowThe residential neighborhood boasts a beautiful white beach as well as the modern shopping centers and larger supermarkets, but my priority was Mambo Village Center.

While the front part of the village had a children’s amusement park, I made a beeline for the back where the crocodile farm was.

The entrance fee was 800 ksh, and a guide was assigned to escort me through the farm. Each pen contains a varying number of crocodiles depending on their age.

The first one, for instance, had 22 adult (25-35 years old) crocodiles. The oldest one in the park, Big Daddy, was 111 years old and 700 kg when he passed away.

His body lies preserved and on display in the center of several enclosures. More than half of the 300+ crocodiles were hiding underwater, although a scaly back could be seen once in a while.

Sadly, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the park had to release hundreds of them back into the wild as they could no longer support so many.

The largest male, Cheesie, prevents other males from getting near the females, or sources of food, when he's around.
The largest male, Cheesie, prevents other males from getting near the females, or sources of food, when he’s around.

The guide continued to explain that the crocodiles lying above ground nestled in the sand or on the warm concrete were primarily female since they lay their eggs between October and December, so January and March were prime months for protecting their young.

The bridges and walkways of the park took us around another pen with over 150 young crocodiles, and the guide picked one up from an isolated part next to it to demonstrate how docile and trainable they were at a young age.

Adult crocodiles have up to 4,000 teeth and if one should fall out or break, it would regrow so crocodiles are never without their primary weapon.

Occasionally, people will find or bring in crocodiles when they happen upon them.

He told me a story of one so dangerous in the Tana River that it ate five people before the local villagers could capture and bring him in to live at the crocodile farm.

When I commented on the energy-efficient lifestyle of a crocodile, the guide laughed and told me to watch what happens when it’s feeding time.

He hopped over a small fence and grabbed a large white bucket, letting out a cry and whacking the bucket with a stick.

Even though their weekly feeding was just a few days ago, the majority of the crocodiles stirred into action nearly immediately.

Many of them slid over and around one another towards the sound, and I witnessed many clumsily sliding and hunkering around on land towards the end of the enclosure where the guide stood.

When the sound of the bucket and feeding noises ring out, the crocodiles are quick to reach the part of the enclosure they receive their weekly meals.
When the sound of the bucket and feeding noises ring out, the crocodiles are quick to reach the part of the enclosure they receive their weekly meals.

Still chuckling to himself at his ‘joke’, the guide pointed out a turn and we left behind the still-patiently-waiting crocodiles to enter a dilapidated aquarium. It was under renovation so many dusty and cracked glass tanks sat empty, interspersed among the few dimly lit and murky tanks with a handful of tropical fish darting around.

While the larger python nearly killed my guide a few weeks prior, the smaller one is not strong enough yet to suffocate him.
While the larger python nearly killed my guide a few weeks prior, the smaller one is not strong enough yet to suffocate him.

The guide didn’t give them a second glance as we emerged out the other end, and he turned to me with a grin, triumphantly presenting the snake house.

Before I could close one eye, we were right in front of red spitting cobras and green mambas. The guide excitedly rattled off a series of increasingly intimidating facts:

“These spitting cobras can hit you in the face with their poison!” “The black mamba is the fastest snake in the world”

“If the eggs are incubated at over 33°C, they will be male. If it’s cooler than that, they’ll be female”.

By the time we walked by a pen of fluffy white rabbits, I shuddered, thinking about the cruel end that fate had in store for them.

The next morning, I was ready for a more gentle animal visit and grabbed a tuktuk towards the Nguuni Nature Sanctuary.

A private animal park, the sanctuary has ostriches, storks, and waterbucks which are more commonly seen on the safari drives.

However, the day I arrived, one guide was out sick so the pedestrian routes were closed and only the picnicking area was open to visitors.

I decided to take the chance, paid 800 Tsh for non-residents to enter and walked the 1.5 dusty and shade-free kilometers from the entrance.

As I drew near, wondering how safe my bare ankles were against the possibility of snake attacks, I saw a familiar silhouette coming into view.

Directly at the main picnic site, among the many tables and benches set up for daytime visitors to bring their own food, around a dozen giraffes were grazing on the tree tops.

The guide came out quickly, warning me not to get too close because they can still kick if suddenly alarmed. 21 giraffes live on the grounds, up to 26 years of age, and the guide commented that I was lucky to see them since they roam freely on the 28 acres of land and that morning’s visitors were not as lucky.

The fringe-eared oryx have striking markings on their faces and necks, and their horns are occasionally hunted to be used as charms.
The fringe-eared oryx have striking markings on their faces and necks, and their horns are occasionally hunted to be used as charms.

This breed, called Rothschild’s giraffes, can grow up to 6.1 meters and never lie down to sleep but instead go into a meditative phase to rest while standing up.

The dominating male giraffe in a herd is the only one able to mate with the females.

Therefore, occasionally, the other males will have intercourse with each other, which is more commonly known as gay necking and mounting.

The guide chuckled, telling me about when he’d catch them in the act, citing the inability for them to touch the other females while the alpha male was around as the reason.

The other animal skulls testify to the other creatures which can be found in the sanctuary, elands and oryxes.

When I asked how easy it was to spot them, the guide decided to show me by grabbing some pellets, which served more as treats than the main course for the animals, and we walked out with a loudly rattling bucket.

Male giraffes have three ossicones, as seen on display at the entrance to the informal visitor center.
Male giraffes have three ossicones, as seen on display at the entrance to the informal visitor center.

As soon as the sound of the bucket rang out in the open fields, the giraffes turned their massive necks towards us, slowly meandering in our direction, and within minutes, a pair of elands appeared out of the bushes. Their spiral horns curved smoothly towards the sky, encouraging us to keep our distance.

Holding my hand out to Cheesie, the largest male giraffe dominating this herd of giraffes, I was pleasantly surprised at how similar their tongue in my palm was to feeding a hungry dog.

The smaller females were tentatively coming closer when I spotted a small group of oryxes with brown markings along their faces and long straight antlers approaching.

They cautiously looped around where the guide and I stood under a shaded gazebo, and made their way to a nearby watering well shared with the guinea fowls lined up on the edge.

The fringe-eared oryx are endemic to East Africa, and alongside being hunted for their meat and hide, their horns have also been used as charms for traditional communities.

Bombolulu Workshops

When the afternoon heat got to me, I hopped on a matatu, a coaster van that operates as the country’s public bus system, for 50 tsh ($0.40 USD) to visit the Bombolulu Coast Workshops and Culture Center.

A space set up by the Association of the Physical Disabled of Kenya (APDK), the entrance was down a small local neighborhood where shopkeepers and store employees called out “jambo” as I strolled.

The tailors and seamstresses produce many more items than clothing, including handbags, coasters, and placemats.
The tailors and seamstresses produce many more items than clothing, including handbags, coasters, and placemats.

The guard at the gate introduced me to Ali, an older gentleman with vision impairment, who took it upon himself to be my unofficial guide. At one end of the area was the culture center where visitors can see models of traditional Kenyan homes from around the country, but Ali brushed off my idea to visit.

The jewelry designer showed me the range of materials that their team works on and the variety of designs that she has them working off of.
The jewelry designer showed me the range of materials that their team works on and the variety of designs that she has them working off of.

Alternatively, he wanted to show me the workshops which were started by the NGO in 1969 as a way to economically strengthen the disabled. A youth empowerment center stands to the right where programs are held for leadership and civic engagement for teenagers.

They receive a living allowance and assistance from the organization, and nearly all the residents are handicapped in one way or another, so the campus is designed to accommodate hand-powered wheelchairs and other physical impairments.

The various trades are self-taught and peer-instructed in different spaces around the campus. The first one we visited seemed the most practical and necessary – the metal shop producing wheelchairs. Most of the workers, due to the physical challenges of this trade, are able-bodied.

Showing off the Shop

The men proudly showed me the various parts of the shop, from the metal-bending machines that require angle inputs beforehand and trimming down of the lengths of metal bars afterwards, to the drill that makes the necessary gears for the chair to function.

The jewelry artisans at Bombolulu work with copper and silver to trace and cut out various patterns and shapes for their bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
The jewelry artisans at Bombolulu work with copper and silver to trace and cut out various patterns and shapes for their bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

The final step is the cushions and handles, where I saw the finished product and range in size for child wheelchairs vs. adult ones.

The sewing room contained at least 15 sewing machines set up for a variety of items to be handmade, including clothing, travel bags, placemats, notebooks, and coasters. One girl I spoke to was working on a sample of a dress for her university’s sewing course, and was completing an internship there.

The workers strive to use only locally produced fabric in their goods. The woodshop and crafts workshop produces coconut and wood-based toys, such as writhing snakes, and other household items, like kitchen spoons and utensils, bowls and keychains.

One of the woodsmith proudly showed off a cane with an elaborately carved handle in the shape of an elephant’s silhouette, and noted that the wood was also Kenyan wood.

The jewelry workshop has fewer tables, but each one is filled with delicate metal pieces that the resident-workers clip off and cut out to make rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

Inside the office, I met the designer who showcased her glass cases of different designs and models, and a whiteboard had scrawls of large orders from individuals in the US and the UK that the shop was working on delivering in the upcoming months.

As I headed out, I marveled at the amount of dedication and thoughtfulness given to these three key aspects of Kenyan society; I considered myself lucky to have experienced the multicultural and rich national history, the well-being and preservation of Kenyan wildlife, and the empowerment of the handicapped and marginalized members of society.

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