The Kenyan government is planning to build an underwater museum in the shores near the town of Malindi dedicated to studying shipwrecks and marine life.
Head of archaeology at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Caesar Bita said the museum, whose construction is set to begin soon, is expected to be fully operational in 2014 – making Kenya the first African country to establish such a facility.
“Apart from studying shipwrecks, we will also be studying the marine life that exist in the Indian Ocean Coast,” Mr Bita told reporters.
Designs of the museum are being prepared with the help of US architects and a budget for the costs is being discussed by the government.
According to Mr Bita, the NMK is carrying out a search in the ocean to document shipwrecks and find ways of conserving them as they work to build capacity to implement the project.
“One of the ways to preserve these artefacts and turn them into tourist attractions is by securing the wreck and fitting it with underwater cameras that transmit images to visitors above sea level,” he said.
There are 32 known shipwrecks along the Kenyan coastline, eleven of which have lain in the deep waters for more than half a century including Highland Lassie that sank in 1879 and Hamad and Sussex which sank in 1909.
China, Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom are some of the few countries to have underwater museums, with China’s museum being the largest in the world.
Egypt is also planning to put up a similar facility in Alexandria although the plan is still at the initial stages.
Meanwhile, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) has announced it will build a rotating museum and a hall of fame in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area to commemorate the achievements of Olympic heroes.
Dubbed Olympic Plaza, the proposed facility will allow visitors a 360 degree view of Nairobi as the rotating portion of the top (16th) floor rotates. Read more about the rotating museum.