Wasini Island

The name “wasini mpunguti” came from the early inhabitants who originally were the Chinese. Since the Chinese were short the name Wasini Mpunguti was coined by the locals to mean short Chinese.

The Island has only footpaths of sharp old coral or sand. There are no vehicles, carts or bicycles. Cargo is transported by foot or by a wheelbarrow with a solid tyre.

Transport is over the paths, or via the beaches, mainly consisting of coral and only passable with low tide, or by boat over the sea. Before 1963, in the British colonial time, there was an airstrip in the lagoon situated longitudinal south on the island; only small parts of tarmac are reminders of this history.

The Island lies in southeast Kenya 3 kilometres off the coast of the Indian Ocean , 75 kilometres south of Mombasa , and 3
kilometres opposite the harbour of Shimoni village . It is approximately 7 kilometres long and 3 kilometres across,with a population of about 3,400 people, of which 99% are Muslims.

Tourism is the main source of income; second comes fishing. T he high poverty level has greatly diminished in the last 30 years due to the tourism based on the approximately 10 km far Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park.

Here tourists do snorkel and dive between the coral around this tiny sand island Kisite which is totally inundated during high tide. This park annually attracted about 80,000 of overseas (75%) and African (25%) tourists.

At the east side of the island often dolphins are playing in the seawater. On the island itself at the shore opposite of Wasini village near the Kenyan Marine jetty beautiful coral fauna and flora can be seen and be examined while snorkeling.