Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and team alongside the chairman of National Lands Commission Dr. Muhammed Swazuri and team, at Fort Jesus, January 11, 2018. [Photo|Ali Hassan Joho]Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho alongside the chairman of National Lands Commission Dr. Muhammed Swazuri, stopped the ongoing sea reclamation at the historic Fort Jesus being undertaken by The National Museums of Kenya.While the County Government of Mombasa fully supports the protection and conservation of all historical and heritage sites, Joho said it was imperative that such measures are done within the stipulated by laws and with due regards to other environmental and ecological factors."The National Museums of Kenya did seek for approval to construct a sea wall to protect the historic fort but went beyond the terms of the approval to start a process that would eventually have reclaimed upto 2 acres of the sea thereby adversely effecting the delicate marine ecology of entire Tudor creek and fishing zones beyond," said Joho.He said this would also have defaced the historical view of the fort and eventually move it from the seafront to mainland.Consequently, they instructed the contractor to immediately cease and restore all works at the site including reopening of the public beach access. Further, they asked them to engage expert input on how such conservation, if necessary, can be done without such adverse effects to the surrounding ecology and the history of the fort.

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