Residents of Mkwiro Island in Kwale County use a boat to access their homes from Shimoni Jetty on November 21, 2024.
The journey to Mkwiro village on Wasini Island in Kenya's Kwale County is not for the faint-hearted.
After reaching the end of the road at Shimoni, travellers must board a boat for a 15-minute journey across the rough waters of the Indian Ocean.
But the journey doesn't end there.
Depending on the tide, passengers often step directly into the water and walk a few hundred metres along the slippery edges of the cliffs before reaching the main entrance to this isolated village.
In addition to the isolation, there is a growing fear among the locals.
It has to do with the fact that the sea is gradually reshaping the village and threatening the graveyard, one of the most important places in the community.
Irreversible effects of climate change such as rising sea levels, increased ocean temperatures and beach erosion are now affecting their daily lives.
Beach erosion occurs when it rains heavily or there is a high tide. The water moves inland, but when it returns to the sea, it carries away the top soil, creating holes or further weakening the soil on land.
Mkandi Fadhili, a resident of Mkwiro Island in Kwale County, stands next to a grave near the beach on November 21, 2024.
Mkandi Fadhili, a 45-year-old resident, stands by the cemetery next to the beach and looks at the eroded coastal area. He points to the exposed tree roots beside him.
“Where we are standing now, there used to be a thick cover of trees. Now, the last few trees are barely holding on as the soil beneath them is swept away by seawater,” said Mr Fadhili.
Pointing to a concrete block, he says this is the only grave that has been plastered and marked with a gravestone, while all the others have been left unmarked to save on burial space.
The headstone is now a symbol of the erosion that has left residents fearing that the water will soon reach their homes, as its increasing proximity to the water reflects the worsening situation.
Mr Fadhili explains that the island's sandy areas used to be ideal for digging graves. But now these burial grounds are dangerously close to the encroaching waters, and the thought of losing the remains of their loved ones to the ocean fills residents with fear.
“This is sacred ground. But the sea comes closer every day, and we fear it might take away our history, our memories, and our ancestors. We frequently come across bones from the cemetery lying on the ground,” he says.
The village of Mkwiro, close to the Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, is home to about 2,500 people who depend on marine resources for their livelihoods through fishing and tourism.
But climate change and other human activities have become a major threat to the island's indigenous community.
They now want the government and well-wishers to help build a sea wall to prevent the topsoil from being washed away by the sea.
"We are worried about the future. We would like the government or any willing person to help us build a sea wall on both sides of our village," said Mr Fadhili.
Mwalola Hemedi, the 63-year-old village chairman, says the frequency of exposed bones has increased over the past 10 years, a sign of increased erosion.
Mwalola Hemedi, the 63-year-old village chairman from Mkwiro Island in Kwale County, says the frequency of human bones showing up on the beach has been on the rise in the past 10 years.
He takes us across the island to another cemetery on the side of the village facing the marine park. Mr Hemedi says this is the second site where the community has decided to bury their loved ones, but every now and then they come across bones because the topsoil has eroded.
This can be seen from the exposed roots of the trees. The vegetation now appears to be much closer to the open beach area than to the land.
“When we see the bones, we cleanse them and put in a white cloth and bury them again as a sign of respect. Our religion and culture do not allow us to leave them exposed,” he explained.
“I planted this tree almost five feet on the ground when I was young. But the whole of it including its roots are exposed. We need a wall from one end to the other so that we can prevent this,” he added.
Erosion and the threat to the burial sites add to the challenges faced by the locals.
“The last decade has come with a lot of changes in our community. It’s not just the erosion, but it has become so hot that our fish are running away and moving further into the ocean,” he said.
For lack of proper equipment, they cannot move to higher seas to fish because they do not have larger boats suitable for the task.
Mohammed Mbwana, who grew up in Mkwiro and now owns a fish shop in Shimoni, believes that the negative effects now being felt were caused by locals in the past who used to extract sand from the beach for construction.
“I grew up here on the island. I believe besides climate, it is the locals who made a mistake by harvesting a lot of sand just by the beach for construction. This led to loss of more vegetation and the water currents are heavily carrying away the topsoil,” he said.
He believes that in addition to a sea wall, it is important for residents to preserve the environment through various activities, as living on an island makes them more vulnerable to natural changes in the ocean.
While the people of Mkwiro believe that building a seawall would provide immediate protection, experts warn that this solution may only be temporary and may have unintended consequences for other areas.
Dr Jelvas Mwaura, an ocean expert and researcher at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), blamed increased development along the coastline, the effects of which are felt on the islands. He also said such cases of erosion are common because of the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels and changing waves in the ocean.
“While the sea level is increasing or rising, there are some areas that coastal developers are interfering with by building structures on the coast without understanding the dynamics of how the changes of sea level will impact other areas that are located at a distance,” he said.
He explained that Mkwiro village on Wasini Island is one of the places where there is a lot of beach erosion because of development in the Funzi and Vanga areas, which changes the direction of the water and directs it towards the island villages.
“Instead of the waves going towards those areas, they are directed towards Mkwiro and hit Mkwiro at a high intensity or force. This disturbs the sediments and causes erosion,” he explained.
Although the locals want a sea wall to be built to protect their homes and the graves of their loved ones, Dr Mwaura said the walls would only be a short-term solution.
“That will be an act of fighting nature. Once you construct sea walls in that particular area, you are blocking yourself from the high sea level getting into your structure or homes, but you do not understand that the reflection of water goes elsewhere to cause problems to another place,” Dr Mwaura added.
He said at the moment people are building sea walls but the danger is felt in other areas where the intensity of the ocean waves is directed and affects them.
The marine scientist said since this is a climate change problem, there is no permanent solution but better technology should be used in building sea walls or structures near the beach to prevent further destruction in the future.
For the people of Mkwiro, the sea walls, although temporary, will stop the encroaching waters and protect them and their loved ones from further harm.
