Criticos accused of fencing off WW1 site

Stakeholders in the tourism industry have condemned former Taveta MP Basil Criticos for fencing off the historic Salaita Hill.

Mr Criticos put up an electric fence around the hill in August this year.

During the centenary celebrations to mark the end of World War One last week, a delegation that had planned to visit the site was denied access.

The hill was an iconic battlefield during the war. Taita Taveta County was at the centre of the war between German and British forces in 1914-1918.

Historian James Willson was forced to brief the guests along the Voi-Mwatate highway.

British High Commissioner Nick Hailey and his German counterpart Annette Gunter were among high profile guests who graced the three-day historical event.

Mr Criticos made true his threat that he would not allow the delegation to visit the site after the secretariat failed to involve him in planning for the event.

He had accused the secretariat of unlawfully pitching tent on his land in 2014 during the centenary celebrations to mark the beginning of World War One. Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) chairman Mohammed Hersi said the government should repossess the land to allow tourists to access it. In 2014, the National Museums of Kenya gazetted Salaita Hill together with 14 other sites in Taita Taveta County as sites of historical interest and significance.

Mr Hersi said it was unfortunate that the landowner denied the guests access to the hill yet he had been informed about the event.

“The habit of people grabbing strategic areas for their selfish interests should stop,” he said. KTF said they will sell the historical product to families of those who took part in the war. Mr Hersi said tourists will visit battlefields, cemeteries, memorials and related historic sites in the area.