Survey of the impact of climate change on National Museums Kenya: tangible heritage at Kabarnet & Tambach Museums

Written by Lillian Amwanda, Curator, Kabarnet Museum (Kenya, ITP 2024)

For two days, Kabarnet and Tambach Museums hosted ITP fellows Doris Kamuye (Kenya, ITP 2024), Rodah Lange (Kenya, ITP 2023) and Lillian Amwanda (Kenya, ITP 2024) – who have been working together on a survey exploring the impacts of climate change on National Museums of Kenya (NMK) tangible heritage. Throughout the survey, the fellows engaged with staff in a series of participatory discussions.

At Kabarnet Museum, the day began on a bright sunny note, setting a lively and welcoming pace for the sessions. We started the exercise with introductions between our staff and the visiting ITP fellows – setting the tone for our interactions. With the background rhythm of cultural songs echoing from the Kabarnet Museum grounds, which had been hired by a client prior to our visit, we pressed on.

Kabarnet Museum staff being introduced to the ITP Fellows.

We then outlined our own objectives for the survey, emphasizing the urgent need to explore how climate change is impacting museum collections, buildings, and the wider cultural landscape. To make the session interactive, we asked all the participants to share their expectations and objectives – which allowed us to better align our program with their  various  perspectives. Their expectations were more in line with our programs objectives.

Doris Kamuye ITP Fellow 2024 taking the staff through the presentations.

The ITP Team took the Museum staff through the power point presentation by firstly explaining to the team what ITP and legacy projects is; the objectives; and how we intended to carry out the survey. The participants were active, contributing thoughtful ideas during group discussions. They explored themes ranging from environmental threats to both movable and immovable heritage at Kabarnet Museum.

Later, each group presented their findings to the entire team – sparking valuable dialogue and reflection. One member of the group sparked my attention when they answered that ‘climate change affects everyone and everything‘. Their simple and yet powerful statement struck a chord with participants in the room. It was a reminder that climate change is not an abstract concept reserved for scientists or policy makers – but a lived reality that touches our homes, our heritage, and even the smallest details of our daily lives. Hearing it voiced so clearly by the participants underscored why our survey is so important, to collectively act together in safeguarding both our environment and our cultural treasures.

Group discussions from the staff.

We later toured the collections store, the museums and the monuments to observe some of the challenges the staff had raised in their group discussions; while also discussing some of the realistic mitigation measures that are been carried out to mitigate those challenges.

Staff and ITP Fellows inside the collections store.

Kabarnet Museum and ITP Fellows inside the Gallery.

The day closed with a special moment of appreciation, as the Kabarnet team presented gifts to the visiting fellows Doris and Rodah, acknowledging their support and contributions.

Gift presentation to the visiting ITP Fellows. (Right) Rodah Lange, ITP 2023 (Left) Doris Kamuye, ITP 2024.

A group photo was the perfect way to seal the ITP fellows’ time with the Kabarnet Museum participants.

Group photo with Kabarnet Museum staff.

From Kabarnet, our journey continued the following day to Tambach Museum, where we carried forward the same participatory approach. The drive itself was an experience to remember – winding through the breath-taking landscapes of Elgeyo-Marakwet. The visiting ITP fellows could not stop marvelling at the beauty of the Kerio Valley embraced by connected hills – some adorned with waterfalls. For nearly 70 kilometres, we were treated to this stunning scenery before finally arriving at Tambach Museum.

At Tambach, the warmth of the welcome we received from the staff immediately set the tone for another enriching session. The participants were equally enthusiastic of our objectives, they too shared their perspectives on how climate change is affecting their monuments through tectonic movements. Group discussions once again proved to be the heart of the exercise, with the Tambach Museum staff exchanging lively ideas. Their presentations all indicated the various challenges affecting their  tangible heritage. We finished the session by asking the staff to answer our questionnaire to obtain the data of our study.

Survey session with Tambach Museum staff.

These two days of survey work were not only informative, but also deeply inspiring. As we listened and observed our colleagues, it became clear that the threats of climate change are already being felt within our museums. Environmental factors such as extreme weather patterns – ranging from heavy rains to strong winds – are putting collections and buildings at risk. High temperatures and fluctuating relative humidity create favourable conditions for pests, which could be visibly observed in artifacts in the two museums. Meanwhile, leaks gradually wear down the roofing of the monuments. Additionally, being located within the Great Rift Valley, both Kabarnet and Tambach Museums face an added challenge of  tectonic movements that cause cracks in the monuments. These challenges highlighted the urgent need for collective efforts to understand, document, and respond to climate change in order to safeguard our heritage – both for the present and for generations to come.

Some impacts of climate change as observed during the survey at Tambach Museum.

Thanks to our main sponsor of the survey, the British Museum through the International Training Programme (ITP); and our employer National Museums of Kenya for giving us the opportunity to do the study within the selected Museums; the staff of both Kabarnet and Tambach museum for their corporation; and to the ITP fellows Rodah Lange and Doris Kamuye.

(RIGHT) ITP Fellows Lillian, Rodah and Doris with Tambach Museum Curator Peter Munyao. (LEFT) Group photo with Tambach Museum staff.