Tana River, Italian firm sign deal on conservation and tourism
Governor Dhadho Godhana said that the county had signed a draft Memorandum of Understanding with Gruppo Cestari. The deal expands on the European Union’s Go Blue programme, initially centred on fisheries, to include tourism and heritage.
For generations, Tana River’s biodiversity and heritage have remained largely untapped, but a new agreement between the County Government and Italian group Gruppo Cestari is set to focus on conservation and tourism while involving local communities in the process.
The partnership is expected to support ecosystem restoration, cultural preservation, and tourism development, with residents benefiting through jobs, skills training, and infrastructure.
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Governor Dhadho Godhana said that the county had signed a draft Memorandum of Understanding with Gruppo Cestari. The deal expands on the European Union’s Go Blue programme, initially centred on fisheries, to include tourism and heritage.
“The idea was to push for the programme to cover tourism and to run for longer than originally planned,” Governor Dhadho Godhana said.
He added that the county would prioritise land use planning, conservation and infrastructure under the new arrangement.
Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana during a meeting with Italian group Gruppo Cestari. The county had signed a draft Memorandum of Understanding with Gruppo Cestari. The deal expands on the European Union’s Go Blue programme, initially centred on fisheries, to include tourism and heritage. (Farhiya Hussein)
Part of the collaboration will involve documenting and safeguarding historic sites, such as Kambi Cemetery and Chewele, which are linked to Italian settlement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
County officials said this will help establish tourism circuits that combine the area’s ecological and historical assets.
Gruppo Cestari representative Fabrizio Cardillo, who also chairs the Chamber of Commerce in Italy, said the group would provide expertise and financing.
“We are joining the effort with knowledge, capacity, technology and resources,” he said.
The county government said the projects would be implemented in phases, beginning with the MoU, and a grassroots unit would link local communities with national-level investment.
Authorities expect the collaboration to promote sustainable tourism while conserving biodiversity in one of Kenya’s most ecologically sensitive regions.
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