President William Ruto has announced progress on the planned Kenya Home of Human Origins Museum and Science Park, a flagship project expected to transform the Lake Turkana Basin into a global hub for archaeological research, heritage conservation and eco-tourism.
In an update shared on Wednesday , July 22, Ruto said he had received a progress briefing on the project, which is being spearheaded by a Presidential Taskforce in collaboration with the National Museums of Kenya.
The museum and science park will be established inKalokol, an area strategically located between Turkana and Marsabit counties. According to the President, the initiative is expected to strengthen Kenya’s position as the cradle of human history while attracting researchers , tourists and investors from across the world.
One of the primary goals of the project is to return 32,000 heritage collections of Kenya which belong to museums and are kept abroad thus giving the possibility to keep and present a larger part of the country’s history on its soil.
Besides preserving history, according to the government, the project will give the opportunity to enhance livelihoods in the region. This will include the provision of more clean water to the local people and livestock, increased security, improvements in digital communication, better roads, as well as healthcare and educational institutions and restoration of existing museums.
Lake Turkana Basin is considered to be one of the most important archaeological locations worldwide. There are found remains which contributed greatly to the knowledge about human evolution – for instance, 1.6 million years old fossil Turkana Boy and some of the oldest known to date stone tools used by early men.
According to the government, the establishment of the museum and science park will not only help to preserve the rich archaeological history of Kenya but also create new economic prospects for the country.