The only fishing jetty in Malindi is on the verge of collapsing after vandalists took advantage of the abandoned yet important facility to ‘dig out’ metal for sale to scrap metal dealers in the town.
The Iconic jetty called ‘Buntwa’ believed to be over 70 years old has huge cracks that are exposing the metals that are key resources for criminals and drug addicts looking for easy money.
Sitting near the beachfront and about 500 meters from the ancient Vasco Dagama pillar the jetty was built to help in offloading fish and goods from vessels that dock in the deep waters.
For years it has also been a major tourist attraction for both locals and foreigners who come to take photos, enjoy the Oceanic view of the resort town but there are fears that it could soon collapse if action is not taken.
To make matters worse there are some people who stay under the jetty which puts their lives at high risk in case it collapses.
At first, the vandalists destroyed metal grills that were meant to protect people from falling during high tides.
A spot check at the jetty during a monthly clean-up exercise organized by the Progressive Welfare Association in Malindi found out that there has been massive destruction of metals from the pillars and the jetty itself.
Yunus Aboud the Chairman of Malindi Beach Management Unit said the jetty has become dangerous because of the vandalism going on.
Speaking during the clean-up exercise also attended by the Police, KWS, Kazi Mtaani youth, beach operators, curio sellers, business community among others he said there is an urgent need for people to be banned from sitting under the jetty as it could collapse and cause deaths.
”The jetty is in a bad state, it can collapse any time and cause injuries and deaths, I urge Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, and all responsible departments to come and access the damage and begin renovation immediately,” he said.
He said authorities need to seal the huge cracks and the areas where metals are exposed, adding that there are other metals that were vandalized.
Aboud said leaving cement alone without metal will make it easy to collapse and cause damages to livelihoods.
”There are heavy vehicles which offload goods at the jetty which is risky but when some other departments are bribed they allow the vehicles to offload without considering the safety of the jetty,” he said.
The BMU chairman said five days ago the vandalists commonly known in local sheng as ‘junkies’ stole an anchor of a vessel worth Sh. 5 million and sold it to scrap metal dealers at only Sh. 2000.
He said the vessel is now offshore and they have been unable to take it back to the waters which are causing huge losses to the owner.
”Scrap metal dealers should buy the appropriate scrape not things from the jetty or anchors from expensive boats,” he said.
Malindi Sub County Police Commander Joe Lekuta Who was present during the clean-up exercise put the scrape metal dealers buying metal from the jetty on notice saying whoever will be fund shall be arrested and charged in accordance with the law.
He said it was unfortunate that rogue youths have begun vandalizing the metal from the jetty that is a key facility for fishermen and even tourists.
”As police, we will not accept it the scrap metal dealers we will be going for them to inspect their licenses and the type of metal they buy if they are not scrape and are from the street light or jetty we shall arrest them,” he said.
Lekuta said security plans were launched since last week until January 10 that will see all resorts being manned by security personnel.
He advised residents to ensure they are home by 10 pm due to curfew to prevent any crime-related cases.
Sabina Vivaldi an Italian Investor who was part of the clean-up team said the jetty is a key area that makes Malindi attractive and called on authorities to intervene and rehabilitate it immediately to prevent loss of lives.
”This is one of the beauties of Malindi when you look on google and you search Malindi what you see as the first picture is this big jetty at the moment as you can see this jetty is completely damaged,” she said.
Malindi is a renowned tourism destination and historical town with key ancient attractions like Vasco Dagama, House of Columns, the jetty, Malindimuseums among others.