About Kwale Way Back When
Brief History of Kwale County
The place we now call Kwale County has a far-reaching narrative as a centre for human settlement for divers coastal groups. The origins and pattern of arrival, as expected, have several theories. Asserting counter to the Singwaya origin, some oral traditions suggest that its occupation dates to the 1400s when the Washirazi people first settled here, followed by the Wavumba in the 1600s and later by the Wasegeju. Another sub-tribe, the Wadigo, inhabited the coastal plain area, while the Waduruma settled around Gazi and Vanga that had a marked Arab influence.
The prevailing tale of origin on earliest traditions of northeartern Bantu origins, and a classic, is the Singwaya legend told by the Mijikenda, Pokomo, Taita and Swahili folk of the Coast. The old traditions relate how the Kashur, as they were all known then, once lived along the southern Somali coast as far north as current day Brava. There some came into contact with early Arab merchants with whom they traded and intermarried, engendering the Swahili people and language. Sometime later the Swahili began to sail south and establish trading centres along the East African coast while others still were driven south of the Juba River and began to split up.
There they remained for some time until the Oromo invaded, who drove them relentlessly down the coast to their present locations. The first to leave settled south of Mombasa as the Digo. Those remaining followed. The Pokomo settled in the Tana River valley, the Taita moved inland up the Galana River to the Taita Hills, while the Mijikenda continued southerly to settle behind the coast in a number of separate settlements between Malindi and Mombasa. The Singwaya legend is a particularly invaluable one for historian because a large amount of independent evidence exists to confirms its discourse, veracity and to place it chronologically.
Still and all, by the time the Oromo raided Gede – that infamous city state just south of Malindi – and other Swahili towns in the 17 Century, there was a marked presence of the Mijikenda along the coast. Their presence was also reported along the Coast by Portuguese observers from 1621. Further back still, many traders to the Coast had reported on their presence from before 1592, ergo the Rabai, while claiming to have come from Singwaya were already present around Mombasa when the Mijikenda arrive here, having previously come from Rombo in Chagga.
Another unsung theory insists beginning the 8th century Kwale was part of the larger Swahili Coast that extended from Somalia to Mozambique. Arab traders, drawn by the area’s proximity to the Indian Ocean, brought Islam, trade, and cultural influences to the region. Kwale was involved in the Indian Ocean trade, exporting items like ivory, mangrove timber, and slaves in exchange for goods such as cloth, ceramics, and spices. The Omani Arabs expelled the Portuguese and established dominance over the coastal region. Kwale became part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, with trade and agriculture flourishing under their rule.
Much later, in the colsing years of the 19th Century, Shimoni area, in mid Kwale, would become a base for the Imperial British East African Company, from 1890, before it was handed over to British East Africa in 1895. Shimoni served as Vanga District’s capital until 1923 when it was moved to Kwale. This was following the fabled Anglo-German Agreement of 1886 – by which the two parties agreed their spheres of influence in East Africa should be divided by a line running from south of Mombasa, then north of Kilimanjaro to a point on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria – the land lying within 16 km of the coast was declared the property of the Sultan of Zanzibar but protected, developed, and ruled by the British Government.
The renowned inhabitants of Kwale County include the Digo and Duruma, sub-groups of the Mijikenda community. These communities settled in the coastal forests and relied on farming, fishing, and hunting for their livelihood. The are widely noted for enkindling the sacred fortified villages known as Kayas in the forests, which served as refuge during raids by the Maasa, cultural and spiritual centers as the threat subsided. Many of these Kayas spread along Kenya’s coast are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites due to their historical and cultural import.
Located along the Kenyan coast, and a hub renowned for its pristine beaches, rich cultural heritage, and breathtaking landscapes, Kwale County uniquely combines two of Kenya’s unsurpassed offerings – beach and safari. Kwale County is also a melting pot of coastal traditions, modern development, farming and trade to boot.
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A Guide to Kwale County
A Summa Digest of Kwale
About Kwale Way Back When
85 Destinations in Kwale County, arranged as one would visit these - north, south, east then south - with aid of in-depth narratives, images, maps and distance chart:
Shelly Beach, Time Out Art Camp, Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, Kutazama Lodge, Mandhari Lodge, Kimerimeta Safari Lodge, Baraza Park, Kwale Town, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Shimba Hills Lodge, Elephant Lookout, Sheldrick Falls, Shimba Hills Organic Farm, Nyalani Dam, WWF Nursery, Tiwi Beach, Diani-Chale Marine National Reserve, Kongo Mosque, Twiga Mosque, Diani Mosque, Diani Beach Art Gallery, Diani Bikes, Center Point Mall, Diani Beach, Almasi Art Agency, Diamond Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant, Kenya Kite Masters, Kite Festival, Funguo Wreck, Swahili Beach Resort, Raydon Water Sports, Colobus Conservation Trust, Sails Beach Bar & Restaurant, H2O Extreme, Nomad Beach Bar & Restaurant, Baobab Beach Resort, Lantana Galu Beach, Galu Ruins, Bora Bora Wildlife Park, Skydive Diani, Kalista Bar & Restaurant, Kaya Kinondo (Forest), Kinondo Kwetu (Resort), Chale Island, Tulia Eco Garden, Gazi Beach, Gazi Mangrove Boardwalk, Gazi Ruins, Msambweni Beach, Munje Beach, Munje Beach Villas, Munje Ruins, Munje Octopus Closure, Funzi Island, Shirazi Ruins, Fikirini Caves, Hormuz, Pongwe, Shimoni Caves, Betty's Camp, Shimoni Ruins, KWS Shimoni Cottages, Wasini Island, Wasini Ruins, Wasini Boardwalk, Charlie Claw’s, Chambocha Cemetery, Wasini Dolphin Tours, Pilli Pipa Dhow, Blue Monkey Cottages, GVI Mkwiro, Mwaozi Tumbe's Gravestone, Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park, Sii Island, Mrima Hill, Maji Moto Springs, Vumba Kuu, Vanga, Vanga Ruins, Nyika Plateau
Know More About Kwale County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
What’s The Air Like In Kwale?
Kwale has monsoon type of climate marked by hot and dry weather from January to May and cooler temperatures from June to August. Average annual temperatures ranges between 24oC and 30oC.
What’s The Lay of The Land In C.02?
Kwale is widely known for its 35 km long coast, where Diani Beach sits. Inland, the coastal uplands, commonly referred to as Shimba Hills, is a sharp elevation in altitude. The land then steeply falls again into the Nyika Plateau and Tsavo.