Booming business in Lamu as annual Maulid festival attracts 20,000 pilgrims

From the narrow alleys of the ancient island of Lamu Old Town to the seafront, preparations are complete for one of the largest religious and cultural gatherings in East Africa at Riyadha Mosque in Lamu County.

This is the 136th annual Maulid festival, expected to receive an estimated 20,000 pilgrims from across the world, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Comoros, Yemen, Oman, Europe and America, starting.

The visitors, both Muslims and non-Muslims, include scholars, tourists and faithful who have started to converge on the island for the festival running from Tuesday 8th to Friday 11th September.

The four-day Maulid festival, celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) under the theme Spirituality, Unity, Culture, Heritage and Peace, has been organised by the Riyadha Mosque, founded by Sheikh Habib Swaleh.

The main spiritual centuries-old tradition will be centred around the mosque at the centre of the island, but its spirit will engulf the entire archipelago.

Riyadha Mosque Committee Chairman Sheikh Abubakar Baadawy said this year's Maulid will be the biggest yet, and all is ready to welcome the visitors from around the world, including some cabinet secretaries led by Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, several principal secretaries, Islamic scholars and many business stakeholders.

'Alhamdulillah, we are fully prepared, spiritually and logistically, for the visitors. This is not just a festival. It is ‘Ibada’. For four days Lamu becomes the heart of Islamic knowledge. We will have Maulid recitations, Qaswida and Dhikr sessions day and night, Qur'an competitions for our youth, lectures and seminars by great scholars, community outreach, free medical camps and cultural performances. We call upon all to come, pray, celebrate and be inspired. Our message is ‘Karibu Lamu '; all are welcome, Muslim and non-Muslim, to experience the blessings, beauty and unity of Maulid," said Sheikh Baadawy.

The Sheikh further said that the Riadha Mosque, which has been offering Islamic studies, will also have its TVET section officially launched during the festival to allow Muslim students to further pursue their talents.

The festival is not all prayers, but in the true Lamu tradition, faith will meet culture, and according to the programme released, beyond the spiritual, Lamu Museum through Lamu Fort has partnered with the Riadha Mosque committee to organise several cultural setups along the island's seafront to showcase the local traditional culture.

These include the iconic donkey races where riders without saddles race to the cheers of thousands, and the graceful dhow races that will see the Lamu channel dotted with white sails as the best sailors from Lamu, Matondoni and Siyu compete.

There shall also be swimming competitions and cultural performances featuring the famous Lamu’s Kirumbizi and Goma dances along the seafront.

The local county government, through its Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Investment, has also come in and cleared space along the seafront for exhibitions, expected to be the most colourful part of the festival.

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Tourism, Trade and Investment Aisha Abdalla Miraj said this festival is among the blend which makes Lamu Maulid a UNESCO-recognised heritage event.

She said there will be exhibitions and food stalls along the seafront, showcasing Lamu heritage cuisine, art and Islamic literature, and the local exhibitors are already pitching tents along the seafront.

“This year we have been given more space along the seafront, next to food stalls. We expect customers from all over the world. We welcome everybody to Lamu, including tourists, and we have plenty to showcase what Lamu actually is. Our exhibitors will be displaying Lamu kofias, handmade perfumes, Swahili foods, handicrafts and many others. Come taste the hospitality of Lamu,” said Miraj.

This festival has also been Lamu's biggest economic season over Christmas and Easter combined, as local hotels and guesthouses on the island are already at breaking point.

Keziah Mumbi, the manager of Lamu Palace, one of the island's leading hotels overlooking the seafront, said they are grateful for the festival and that they are expecting overbooking due to the influx of visitors.

"This is an exceptionally bright season. Calls are coming from Nairobi, Mombasa, Dubai and everywhere. We may be referring guests as usual to other local private homes. Maulid is our Christmas. For four days, Lamu has no low season. Every bed, every rooftop, every Swahili house is occupied here. It sustains us for months," noted Mumbi.

Ali Bunu of the nearby Sunset Hotel said, “We are happy it’s our Maulid again. Visitors are eager to explore again, and our team is fully prepared to deliver unforgettable experiences for the high volume of guests. Booking velocities are outpacing previous years, and our advanced occupancy rates are already hitting record highs. Karibuni Lamu,” said Bunu.

General transporters are also expecting to cash in with buses from Mombasa, Garissa and Malindi to Mokowe, reporting full bookings. In contrast, tuk-tuks and boda-bodas on the Mokowe mainland are expected to be charging a premium.

For boat operators, who are the matatus of Lamu Island, this is harvest time, and one of them, Captain Ali Suw, said his fleet has doubled its shifts.

"From Mokowe to Lamu Island through the sea is our highway. During Maulid, we work 24 hours. One boat can make 10 trips a day. We carry people, luggage, food, and even donkeys for the race. This festival feeds our families. We thank Riyadha Mosque for keeping this tradition alive. We have added more boats and fixed all engines. We are ready for the visitors."

Fishermen, too, are casting wider nets, and Mzee Bwana Bakari, a fisherman at Amu, said they will benefit because demand for fish goes ten times higher during the festival period.

"Hotels order more, food stalls order more. Every visitor wants to taste Lamu fish, crab, and lobster. Our prices are good during Maulid. The sea provides for the Maulid," noted Bakari.

Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Sangolo Kutwa said that security, working with the Lamu County government and national government agencies, has been meeting daily to ensure the smooth flow and safety of all the visitors.

"Lamu is completely safe. We welcome the world to the cultural heart of Lamu; our duty is to ensure that the festivals and all remain safe,” said Kutwa.

Visitors can travel to Lamu Island either by air directly to Manda Airport, then a 10-minute boat ride to the Island, or by road to Mokowe mainland, then take a 20-minute boat ride to the island.

And by sunset on Friday, 11th September, as dhows glide back with pilgrims singing Qaswida, Lamu will have once again proven that it is not only more than an island but also a spiritual and cultural capital.

For now, the message from Lamu is simple: “come, pray, celebrate and be inspired”.