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The Kenyan government plans to upgrade and preserve at least 100 monuments and historical sites from all the 47 counties to help grow the tourism sector and enhance social cohesion. The project is in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture is and the National Museums of Kenya.

According to Culture and Arts Principal Secretary, Joe Okudo the government will also soon rewrite Kenya’s history by packaging cultures of all Kenyan communities to ensure Kenyans understand their culture.

Each of the 47 counties will have a minimum of two monuments to preserve and protect local heritage so as to enhance social cohesion and integration in a process estimated to cost  KSh 2 billion.($19.3 million)

“We want to urge every county to profile at least two monuments in the languages of their communities to ensure upcoming populations understand their culture easily. This will also help in attract ring tourists. Only monuments of historic, cultural and symbolic significance and national importance will be selected,” said Okudo.

National Museums of Kenya Director general Mzalendo Kibunjia said identification of the sites has started and Treasury has been asked to provide KSh1 billion ($9.6 million) in the next financial year to develop the monuments.

“The monuments will also serve as research centres to study and document cultural and local values that bring people together and promote social cohesion and values,” he said.

The two spoke during the launch of a heritage training course for county officials from departments of culture and arts, which kicked off in Mombasa, Coastal Kenya on Monday.