Malindi Unites Youth, Security Agencies and Hospitality Sector in Monthly Beach Cleanups to Boost Eco-Certification Drive

Malindi tourism stakeholders have incorporated young environmentalists and officers from government security agencies, hotel staff and other hospitality players to the monthly beach cleanup as the rush to get the town hotels eco certified.

The group is also in preparation to host the first ever estuary marathon in collaboration with the UN Habitat West Wise Cities program with the chairperson of the Progressive Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM) Kate Mwikali saying that it will be the first ever in Africa.

“Malindi now is an affiliate of the UN Habitat West Wise Cities and we will very soon start implementing waste segregation from source because that is basically one of the things to be a waste wise town, and this is because we have been doing monthly cleanups and also recycling most of the waste,” she said.

Waste ward cities refer to cities or wards that are recognized for either their successful waste management initiatives or those struggling with significant waste crises and pollution.

She added that there was a Community Based Organization (CBO) stationed at the Malindi dumpsites that had already started recycling waste into useful material.

“We even have a CBO at the dumpsite called Kesho Yetu and they have started the business of adding value to the waste,” she said.

In November 2026, she added that Malindi will be holding the first ever in the world waste Wise marathon and this will be the estuary marathon and the paralympics have also requested to be part of it and that the event was being organized in collaboration with the Athletics Kenya and Dr Paul Tergat foundation.

Hotels in the area are also undergoing training with certified trainers from the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) on eco certification and Kate cautioned hoteliers that the clients were the judges for a hotel to achieve the eco certification.

“What we are doing with the hotels also is to get them eco certified on matters sustainability, they are already managing their waste well and also conserving energy and basically circular production and Diamonds is one of the hotels that has already been certified, we are able to track the waste where it goes to,” she said.

The Malindi Sub County Administrator Dadu Chome said that the county government was partnering and supporting the monthly clean ups exercises to boost environmental conservation and also boost tourism.

“Malindi has the longest stretch of the beach and the monthly cleanup exercise has put Malindi on the global map and we have received invitations to host the international beach Olympics,” he said.

Irene Munyoki, the Malindi Division Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) said that PWAM had brought joy to Malindi town, making it shine.

“The national government in collaboration with the Kilifi County government are on a mission to vet and certify hospitality establishments as ecofriendly and that will help Malindi attract premium and high end tourists,” she said.