The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has addressed reports about the alleged privatization of Kenya’s coastal beaches. In a statement dated Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Tourism Principal Secretary John Ololtuaa clarified that there are no ongoing actions or policies to privatize public beaches, noting that the issue arose from a proposal made during a public participation forum.
“It is important, therefore, to clarify that proposals made during public participation cannot possibly endorse any form of privatization or inform policy formulation, as implied in some social media outlets, without being subjected to scrutiny as demanded by the strictures of the law,” the statement read.
Ministry of Tourism Denies Plans to Privatize Public Coastal Beaches
The PS further stressed that beach land and resources remain under the ownership and management of the National Government.
“The private sector only provides investment, innovation, and service delivery under regulated agreements,” he added.
At the same time, the Tourism PS stated that the government remains committed to transparency and adherence to the rule of law in all tourism-related investments.
“On that note, it is critical to state without any equivocation whatsoever that any premature conclusion alleging that the National Government intends to bend established legal provisions to engage in illegitimate creation of investment opportunities in the tourism sector is both far-fetched and can only be uttered in complete bad faith by whomsoever,” he stated.
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Additionally, the Ministry stated that its draft National Tourism Strategy is built around three key pillars, one of which focuses on re-engineering Kenya’s tourism product development to enhance the overall visitor experience.
Under this pillar, one of the strategic directions is to enhance Kenya’s beach tourism experience. Specifically, page 50 of the draft strategy proposes identifying and designating certain beaches and islands for special concessions, modeled on global best practices.
Kenyans React to Alleged Privatization Proposal
The Ministry noted that this particular proposal, raised during public participation, has attracted some criticism and misinterpretation.
The draft strategy is available on the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife website at www.tourism.go.ke. The Ministry has invited stakeholders and members of the public to review the document and share their comments or suggestions via email at [email protected], with a copy to [email protected].
Ministry of Tourism’s response comes a day after several people on social media claimed that President William Ruto’s administration is intending to privatize public beaches.
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A social media user by the name Sholla Ard said, “My brothers and sisters, I’ve just come across shocking news: this government is planning to privatize (sell) 5 public beaches: Takaungu, Msambweni, Vipingo, Kipungani, and Matondoni. And not just that, they also want to sell 4 islands: Kiwayu, Manda, Chale, and Funzi.”
Another Kenyan by the name Sungu Oyoo said, “It’s clear that #Kenya is up for auction to the highest bidder. After the privatization of strategic parastatals like #KenyaPipeline, the govt is now talking of the privatization of beaches & islands.”
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