Mombasa and the people
Mombasa and the people
Wood Carvings at Mombasa Beach in Kenya. The city has a population of around 900,000 inhabitants (1999 census: 665,018) and is located on Mombasa Island, which is separated from the mainland by two creeks; Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour. The island is connected to the mainland to the north by Nyali Bridge, to the south by the Likoni Ferry and to the west by the Makupa Causeway alongside which runs the Uganda Railway. The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior linking them to the Indian Ocean.
The town is mainly occupied by the Muslim Mijikenda/Swahili people. Over the centuries there have been many immigrants, particularly from the countries of the Middle East and Indian sub-continent who came mainly as traders and skilled craftsmen and even after four or five generations, their descendants continue to contribute highly to the economy of present day Mombasa and Kenya as a whole. Recent immigrants are peoples from the interior of Kenya brought to the area by employment opportunities in the tourist industry.
Traditional dress for the Swahili women is a brightly coloured, printed cotton sheet called a kanga, which may have inspirational slogans printed on it, and type of black headdress and veil called a “bui bui”. Men wear a type of sarong, which is coloured in bright bands, called a kikoy “kikoi”.