Malindi

Malindi sits on Kenya’s north coast in Kilifi County, a town shaped by fishing dhows, Swahili and Arab history, and a steady flow of European tourists and retirees who’ve settled along its beaches — a place of striking contrast between resort wealth and deep local poverty. Kilifi County remains one of the poorer counties in Kenya, with average monthly household incomes for many residents estimated well under 15,000 Kenyan shillings, and a large share of the population living below the national poverty line according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data. There is no official citywide count of homeless people specific to Malindi, but Kilifi County’s informal and street-connected population has been estimated in the low hundreds in recent county social welfare assessments, concentrated mostly around Malindi town and Kilifi town itself. If you’re here and need help, the Kenya Red Cross Society’s Kilifi branch runs emergency relief and can sometimes connect people to shelter or medical care, and Caritas Malindi, tied to the Catholic Diocese of Malindi, has a long history of feeding programs and support for struggling families. The Kilifi County Department of Gender, Culture and Social Services also handles referrals for vulnerable residents, including street children and the elderly. Malindi can be a hard place to be poor in, with tourist wealth passing close by without touching those who need it most, but there are still people and places here who will not turn you away. You are not invisible here, even when it feels that way — hold on, and take things one day at a time.