According to Athman Amran a Daily Nation correspondent if Vasco Da Gama were to resurrect in Lamu East constituency he would be forgiven for thinking he was in the 15th century. Da Gama who made the first sea voyage from Europe to India and established the route that enabled Africa to trade with the Far East arrived in Malindi in 1498 after a hostile reception in Mombasa.
The six islands that make up Lamu East are Pate, Faza Ndau, Kui, Kiwayu and Sima Mbae still stand six centuries later.
The villagers source of livelihood have been the same for centuries that is fishing and a bit of farming here and there. Villagers go about their lives as they still use canoes and residents move their cargo around the islands on donkeys. Yet 500 years ago, some of the islands were more developed than Mombasa, the largest town along the Coast.
With a population of about 40,000 people Lamu East has only one secondary school another one was destroyed during the Somali wars in 1982. It takes about six hours by motorized dhow to travel from Kiwayu to Lamu Islands and more than 12 hours on a sailing boat. Ndau with a population of between 2000 to 3000 people has no public boat transport to the island, to hire a motor boat from Lamu costs between ksh 20,000 to ksh 30,000 one way. Pate village is also not accessible by the dhow, as it has no jetty or foot bridge. Those going to Pate alight at Mtangawanda and walk for about one hour on foot to reach the village. When it rains travelers take refuge in Mtangawanda at a shelter.
Most houses in Lamu East are made of palm tree thatch or ‘Makuti’ in the local dialect and anchored by mangrove polls. The streets are dark and narrow and the main mode of transport is sailboat.

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