March 2012

Save LAMU (from itself, really)

We travelled in March 2012 to Lamu- yes, that Lamu, scene of the most recent Somali pirate drama and a place now considered ‘dangerous’ in Kenya.  First off, let’s talk about the vacation itself (as opposed to the various socio-political theories which the place gives rise to) – we loved Lamu, in fact I liked it so much that I intend to organize a ‘save Lamu’ beach ultimate tourney one day when I’m back in the swing of things (you know how ultlimate Frisbee has that ability to galvanize the world under a common umbrella of goodwill and happiness..). But I digress… what’s not to like about Lamu – 12 glorious kms of wild beach – upon which you will encounter very few fellow tourists, winds, drifting dhows, sand dunes and camels. The Lamu locals are a laid-back lot, with a good sense of humour and good natured. Plus there’s fun to be had – going for Dhow (Arab sail boats) rides, playing at the beach, shopping and exploring in ancient Lamu town , donkey/camel rides and all the usual resort type fare (windsurfing, kayaking, etc)… Plus we stayed at a really nice place (ordinarily unaffordable to such types as ourselves, but for the chilling effect of the Somali kidnappers etc) – an old Swahili mansion renovated by a French architect… a whole house to ourselves with staff, a pool and the most fabulous chef who treated us to full course menu dinners nightly based on the local supply – read: seafood galore – locally sourced oysters, lobster, calamari… and my favourite part was that you could go meet the fisherman each morning and put in an ‘order’ for oysters or a tuna and they’d have it to your house by lunch – it’s amazing what humans can simply get used to!

But now, the real reason for this blog, the more serious, dark side of this entry…the real deal on the Lamu Port project, the kidnappings, Sudanese oil and the war in Somalia, and a rogue CIA agent with significant memory loss… yes, all of that (ok the last part is from a recent series of Matt Damon films). 

So many of you probably heard about the French tourist who was (allegedly) kidnapped by Somali pirates, news of which promptly served to kill the tourist industry in Lamu? Let’s start there… apparently the night of the kidnapping, several calls for help were placed to local police and the district commissioner. The locals claim that none of the calls were answered and that a crime of that scale not only is difficult to pull off (Somali s hundred of kilometres away by boat) without local knowledge but that somehow that there was high level complicity in what transpired. The kidnappers were never apprehended and the claim that they were Somali pirates is itself unsubstantiated and frankly somewhat suspect given the cocktail of events unfolding in the Lamu area and in the region in fact. 

Next, the Lamu Port project, a nationally led infrastructure project of gigantesque proportions, financially backed by the Chinese and serving the purpose of allowing South Sudanese oil a safe and lucrative outlet from the continent. This project has been in the pipeline for some 20 years but just broke ground in the past few weeks. Why now, and qui bono? Looking at any East African map, it is clear that the more obvious port for South Sudan would be Somalia, but given that country’s special needs status, Kenya becomes an attractive alternative. However Somalia is on the up and up (yes, really that’s what I think) and it’s just a matter of time before they get their act together to not only refine their own oil but also to possibly serve as a port for other countries. In the meantime, Kenya has been quick to not only cash in and seal their fate as the major port for South Sudanese oil but they’ve also put themselves forward as a regional stabilizing force by invading Somalia (which had the joint purposes of making themselves look good regionally, giving their under-experienced military a nice little work-out, creating a regional alliance and taking Somalia out of the South Sudanese oil discussions- I suppose this last a bit tenuous since they were unlikely to be part of them given their ridiculous state of affairs.) 

The kidnapping in Lamu paved  the way for the Lamu Port project by doing the following:

-          It killed off the tourists – it’s literally dead in Lamu  - no one wants to go there for fear of ‘Somali pirates’ and this has been convenient because it takes away any high profile opposition to the Port Project (many celebrities and royalty make their vacation homes in Lamu) in addition to any local protests.   The authorities can then table the Port Project as a value added alternative to high end tourism, bringing jobs to the newly devastated local economy.

The Lamu Port Project in turn does the following:

• Secures Kenya as the strategic port for South Sudanese oil, soon after South Sudan established itself as the continents’ newest country
• Promises massive revenues for years to come for Kenya
• Probably has a major payout right now from the Chinese (who are keen to have access to South Sudanese oil) to the national politicians (read: President) who have actively pushed this project along.
• Helps South Sudan establish itself ahead of Somalia as a regional exporter of oil

So basically the conspiracy goes as follows: the government at its highest level orchestrated the Lamu kidnapping of the French tourist to give it a reason to invade Somalia so as to further destabilize the country, while simultaneously making plans to secure a very lucrative port project in Lamu before Somalia gets its act together… in the process making Lamu a dead tourist town to kill opposition to the project and allow the project to run as planned in the UNESCO heritage site and some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the country. 

There, we said it. So our take… Lamu is safe, go there, support the local communities and save Lamu (just don’t invite that sanctimonious blowhard Bono!)