Historical and Heritage Sites
Review and explore the protected archaeological settlements, historical monuments, and environmental heritage zones legally designated under the National Museums and Heritage Act (Cap. 216).
Contents
Protected Registry Directory
Showing 24 of 24 sitesLamu Old Town
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural) — CoastalThe oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, maintaining its traditional functions and unique coral stone structures for over 700 years.
Fort Jesus, Mombasa
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural) — CoastalBuilt by the Portuguese between 1593 and 1596, this fort stands as a monumental reflection of 16th-century European military architecture and global Indian Ocean trade history.
Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural) — CoastalA network of distinct forested sites spread across the Kenyan coast, containing the remains of fortified villages (Kayas) revered as ancestral groves by Mijikenda elders.
Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural) — Nyanza / WesternLocated in Migori, this dry-stone walled structural enclosure complex represents the largest and best-preserved traditional pastoral fortresses in the Lake Victoria basin.
The Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural) — CoastalA historical 15th-century Swahili walled town hidden deep within the Arabuko Sokoke forest, showcasing highly advanced urban plumbing, mosques, and coral stone masonry.
Mount Kenya National Park and Natural Forest
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural) — Nairobi / CentralAfrica’s second-highest peak, featuring glaciated summits, afro-alpine moorlands, and diverse montane ecosystems critical to national ecological survival.
Lake Turkana National Parks
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural) — Northern / EasternEncompassing Sibiloi, Central Island, and South Island parks; it holds the world's largest permanent desert lake and forms an unmatched global fossil treasure trove.
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural) — Rift ValleyComprising Lakes Nakuru, Bogoria, and Elementaita; an interconnected alkaline lake system that serves as the world's primary feeding grounds for lesser flamingos.
Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site
National Monument — Rift ValleySituated along Magadi Road, this site is globally renowned for its immense concentration of Acheulean stone handaxes, documenting early human evolutionary tools.
Kariandusi Prehistoric Site
National Monument — Rift ValleyAn Early Stone Age archaeological riverbed excavation site near Gilgil, revealing prehistoric volcanic layers and heavy obsidian glass tools.
Koobi Fora Archaeological Site
National Monument — Northern / EasternLocated within East Turkana, widely dubbed the 'Cradle of Mankind' for its monumental discoveries of early hominid fossils including Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site
National Monument — Rift ValleyA prominent Neolithic, Late Stone Age, and Iron Age settlement site overlooking Lake Nakuru, complete with ancient stone walled enclosures and burial mounds.
Songhor Prehistoric Site
National Monument — Nyanza / WesternAn early Miocene fossil bed rich in ancient primate remains dating back nearly 20 million years, vital to global evolutionary anthropology.
Jumba la Mtwana Ruins
National Monument — CoastalA 13th-century abandoned Swahili stone settlement resting on the Kilifi coastline, preserving ruins of four distinct mosques, tomb landmarks, and stone dwellings.
Mnarani Ruins
National Monument — CoastalThe historical architectural remnants of a 15th-to-17th-century Swahili town overlooking Kilifi Creek, characterized by pristine pillar tombs and great ancient baobabs.
Siyu Fort
National Monument — CoastalLocated on Pate Island within the Lamu Archipelago; uniquely outstanding as the only coastal defensive fort built completely by local Swahili rulers rather than foreign powers.
Takwa Ruins
National Monument — CoastalThe structural remains of a prosperous 15th-century Muslim trading town on Manda Island, abandoned due to fresh water salinization, noted for its Pillar Mosque.
Mombasa Old Town Conservation Area
National Monument — CoastalA legally protected cultural core surrounding Fort Jesus, displaying a rich architectural convergence of historical Asian, Arab, Portuguese, and British design layers.
Uhuru Gardens National Monument & Museum
National Monument — Nairobi / CentralKenya's largest historic memorial park. The birthplace of sovereign Kenya where the national flag was first hoisted in 1963, featuring grand memorials and state military archives.
The Nairobi Gallery (Point Zero)
National Monument — Nairobi / CentralErected in 1913 as the Old Provincial Commissioner's office, housing 'Point Zero' from which all national highway travel distances were historically measured.
Kenyatta House (Maralal)
National Monument — Northern / EasternThe historic modern bungalow within Samburu County where Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was detained by colonial authorities prior to his final release before independence.
Kapenguria Old Prison
National Monument — Northern / EasternThe colonial correctional facility where the 'Kapenguria Six' nationalist freedom fighters were held, tried, and imprisoned during the 1952 state of emergency.
Karen Blixen Museum
National Monument — Nairobi / CentralThe historical 1912 suburban farmhouse belonging to the famous Danish author of the memoir 'Out of Africa', preserving early colonial agricultural heritage architecture.
Lord Baden-Powell Grave & Paxtu House
National Monument — Nairobi / CentralThe final resting place and cottage home of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the international Scout Movement, situated in Nyeri.
Published: 22 May 2026 • Last updated: 22 May 2026
This information is regularly reviewed to ensure accuracy.