Thimlich Ohinga Cultural Landscape

Migori, Kenya
14th century
Six stone structures constructed without the use of mortar are what remain of one of the first settlements in the Lake Victoria region of Kenya. The walls of the structures range from 1.2 meters to 4.2 meters in height and 1 to 3 meters wide; the main enclosure measures some 140 meters in diameter. The impregnable buildings at Thimlich Ohinga point to a communal, centralized power system that developed in the region in the fourteenth century. Although Kenya designated the complex a national monument in 1981, only a skeleton staff has been employed to oversee the open-air, unprotected site. Several portions of walls have caved in and at the main enclosure all points of entry are now blocked by fallen rubble. Major repair work is needed for all the walls, followed by a plan for regular inspections and maintenance. A perimeter fence needs to be erected, concomitant with an increase in on-site staff members. Eventually, it is hoped that an interpretative center can be built and this very important group of monuments can be preserved for posterity.