Tucked away at the entrance of
the Old Town – one of the oldest
towns in Mombasa’s history –
Barka Restaurant is popularly
known for its Swahili and Arabic
traditional dishes that attract both
locals and foreigners.
It was here that President Uhuru
Kenyatta decided to pay a surprise
visit and enjoy his lunch on
Saturday afternoon August 30,
2014.
Since then, it has become a bee
hive of activity.
President Kenyatta together with a
few MPs from the coast stopped
over at the restaurant while he
was in Mombasa last week, to the
surprise of many who were
present at the eating point.
“I was at the cashier going on with
our normal business when all of
sudden I saw the President
walking in and greeting everyone,”
Said Ms Saada Hamid the manager
of the restaurant.
FRIENDLY
She added, “At first I was
paralysed with shock, but I
managed to overcome it and I was
further surprised at how friendly
the President is.
“He talked to everyone as if they
were his equals. After the
greetings he went straight to the
VIP lounge.”
At first his order was only for
snacks but later sampled more of
the meals that were available –
with his security detail not being
left behind in the sampling.
“After the meal he stayed for a
while. We took some pictures with
him and his people paid the bill,”
Ms Hamid said.
Although Barka Restaurant was
opened four years ago the VIP
lounge was opened in December
2014 and has a sitting capacity of
30 to 50 people.
“Since the opening of the VIP
lounge we have had several
distinguished guests – but none of
them have been of his stature,” Ms
Hamid said.
A few days after the President’s
visit, the restaurant has witnessed
an increase in sales and in the
number of customers visiting it.
“The President’s visit also shows
how humble he is,” said Ms
Hamid.
