Transport Principal Secretary Mohammed Daghar has assured creative economy players in Mombasa that their activities at the historic Little Theatre Club will continue uninterrupted even as the government explores plans to establish a Railway Training Institute at the facility.
The assurance was given during a consultative meeting chaired by the PS at the Little Theatre Club and attended by Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Philip Mainga, area Member of Parliament Mohamed Machele, Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki, representatives of the creative economy youth and other local leaders.
The PS said the creative economy remains a critical pillar under the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), noting that the government is keen to implement development projects in a manner that safeguards livelihoods and cultural heritage.
“We are here to listen and to find a balanced solution that allows both the creative economy and the proposed railway training institute to coexist,” Daghar said.
He announced the formation of a nine-member joint committee comprising representatives from Kenya Railways Corporation, the creative economy youth and elected leaders from Mombasa County.
The committee will, within one month, develop a framework on how the two initiatives could be implemented without disrupting ongoing creative activities at the venue.
The meeting follows recent protests by members of the Little Theatre Club, who had raised concerns over a possible eviction and takeover of the historic theatre by Kenya Railways.
Addressing the media earlier, the club’s Vice Chairperson Collins Mangicho said the theatre, established in 1948, faced an existential threat despite its cultural significance and status as a gazetted national monument.
Mangicho said the club was founded by demobilised Second World War veterans and has since produced thousands of plays and musicals, making it the Coast’s oldest performing arts centre.
He added that the facility was gazetted as a national monument in 2002, a status he said should protect it from redevelopment without due process.
The creative community had launched a public campaign under the banner “SaveLittleTheatre ClubMombasa”, calling on the county and national governments to intervene.
Artist John Wesonga said while the creative community supports the establishment of a railway training institute at the Coast, it questioned the choice of the Little Theatre Club as the proposed site. “We are not fighting Kenya Railways. The issue is the location,” Wesonga said.
Chairperson of the Mombasa Creative Economy Task Force Daudi Anguka described the Little Theatre Club as the only public auditorium in the county and called for clarity on the ownership and long-term purpose of the facility.
Daghar assured that the corporation has no intention of displacing creative youth, assuring them that their activities will continue at the venue.
Kenya Railways plans to establish the institute to train local and regional professionals in railway operations, maintenance and engineering, drawing on its experience managing over 2,300 kilometres of the metre-gauge railway and the Standard Gauge Railway network.
The joint committee is expected to present its recommendations within one month.
By Chari Suche
