The Mombasa Tusks, also referred to as Mapembe ya Ndovu or Mapembeni or Pembe za Ndovu ( Swahili for ''elephant tusks''), form a monument over Moi Avenue, a major thoroughfare in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Built in the 1950s to commemorate visits by the British royal family, the monument originally comprised two wooden structures resembling

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

s; nowadays, there are four

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

tusks in an M shape. The monument is under the jurisdiction of the National Museums of Kenya in addition to the city's municipal government.

Origin

The Mombasa tusks were originally constructed in 1952 by the British administration of the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commemorating the visit of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

to the city. Made of wood and canvas, they were erected on the Kilindini Road, as Moi Avenue was then called, which led to the Queen's residence at the Mombasa Yachting Club (or simply Mombasa Club), situated next to Uhuru Garden. The monument quickly became a local attraction, with companies and local residents advertising and making announcements by the tusks. There were originally just two tusks over Moi Avenue, which was then a one-lane road; however, it later expanded to two lanes and a new set of tusks were built in 1956 by the municipal council. Another reason for the refurbishment was the visit of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

to the region in that year. A few metres away from the site of the original monument, the four new tusks (two over each lane) are made of weather-resistant aluminium. The tusks coincidentally form the shape of the letter M, the first letter in Mombasa.

Later history

Since then, the white tusks have been repainted several times by

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

visiting the city. The municipal government placed restrictions on commercialisation and advertisement using the monument, and the National Museums of Kenya organization charges for the commercial filming of the monument. The tusks have become a popular tourist destination for the city in addition to a local meeting place. On 3 October 2014, the monument was defaced with graffiti and red paint, reading "Mombasa Not 4 Ivory Export". According to John Mbaria of the '' Daily Nation'', activists aimed to get the government to take action against

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

rings that commonly used the Port of Mombasa as an exit point. The move was denounced by Fatma Awale,

Mombasa County Mombasa County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. Its capital city is Mombasa. In terms of economy, it is second most developed after Nairobi City County. Mombasa was one of the districts of Kenya until 2013 when it was reconstituted as a coun ...

Executive for Water and Environment, who stated that " he county doesn'tcondone the killing of elephants, but somebody should not take it upon themselves to deface county property while passing on a message". In 2017, the government of the county, in partnership with Mombasa Cement Ltd, once again refurbished the tusks. A model elephant was added to the centre of the tusks.

References

{{Coord, -4.0615, 39.6661, type:landmark_region:KE-28, display=title Monuments and memorials in Kenya tusks Tourist attractions in Mombasa 1952 establishments in Kenya Buildings and structures completed in 1952