The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is developing an underwater museum at Ras Ngomeni in Kilifi County. The museum will showcase shipwrecks along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, focusing on a 16th-century Portuguese vessel—Kenya’s oldest known shipwreck. Dr. Caesar Bita, head of coastal archaeology at NMK, will lead the project, which was initially envisioned twelve years ago after the discovery of the shipwreck.
Visitors will experience both above-water artefact displays and underwater tunnels providing direct access to submerged relics. The museum will also function as a research centre for the diverse marine life, including fish, turtles, and dolphins, inhabiting the shipwrecks.
Kenya’s coast has 33 documented shipwrecks: 22 in Mombasa, eight in Malindi, and three in Lamu. Guided tours with details about each wreck’s history will be provided, with underwater placards offering historical information. Some of the cargo found on these ships included ivory, cinnabar, and copper, remarkably preserved due to the conducive underwater environment.
The museum aims to establish itself as a unique tourist attraction complementing the country’s traditional safari offerings. The project’s designs were initially prepared with help from US architects in March 2012, making it the first museum of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, following Egypt’s underwater gallery near Sharm el-Sheikh.
Source: Construction Kenya
