Following two years of conservation work, the Ileret Footprint site in Kenya has been handed over to the Marsabit County Government.
National Museums of Kenya has worked with international partners to safeguard the globally important 1.5-million-year-old hominin footprints found near Lake Turkana, an area known as the “cradle of humankind”.
Ileret, a village on the northeastern shore of Lake Turkana, Kenya, boasts a wealth of archaeological, paleontological, ecological and geological evidence contributing to the study of human evolution.
The footprints found at Ileret were underutilised as a heritage resource and were at risk from factors due to climate change. Erratic rainfall patterns, unprecedented floodwaters and prolonged droughts had all contributed to significant soil erosion.
Now, thanks to the project supported by the Cultural Protection Fund, a physical canopy will protect the site from the effects of wind erosion driven by climate change and the local community will gain skills in heritage management in order to protect the site into the future.
The development and promotion of Ileret as a tourist site, with interpretation, toilet facilities and a visitor centre will generate income for the area and increase community pride. It will serve as a cultural centre for the local community to meet and engage with their heritage.
The project team has trained local women and young people in heritage crafts and entrepreneurship so that they can make and sell these crafts in Ileret. Young people have been trained in digital documentation so that they can monitor the site but use these skills for employability in other areas.
With the recent handover of the Ileret site to the Marsabit County Government, county officials will now be responsible for the administration of the site. The local community will have an active say in how the county government runs, manages and promotes this important asset.
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