Lamu Museum

Lamu Museums are located in the Lamu Archipelago on the N. Coast, one of the most beatiful & serene locations on the African continent and a World Heritage Site

The isolated island, with streets so narrow such that donkeys provide almost the only mode of transport makes the town quite unique.

It served as a prison from 1910 to 1984 to both the British colonial regime and the Kenya government, before it was handed over to the National Museums of Kenya in 1984. Efforts to turn the Fort into a museum were started with technical and financial assistance from Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). With its inception as a museum with environmental conservation as its general theme; Lamu Fort is basically a community center for the people of Lamu old town.

The courtyard is available for weddings, meetings and theatre productions. At the ground floor there is a permanent exhibition which is divided into three major sections
(i) Marine
(ii) Freshwater
(iii) Terrestrial.
Each is further subdivided into its different ecosystem.

The many exhibits on display represent the material culture of the various coastal peoples in the context in which the items are used. Upstairs there are administrative offices; laboratories, a workshop and a restaurant named Mazingira (swahili word for Environment) at the rooftop.

Lamu fort thus, has already acquired a strong identity as a World heritage centre.

Lamu Fort is a massive two storey stone structure located in Lamu Old town, Lamu District. It lies about 70 meters inland at the main jetty within Grid Reference 114 498 on the Lamu 1:50,000, Kenya Survey Map sheet No. 180/1.