Home · Story
The Cabanas grew from the belly of a love, story
A story of Lamu, legacy, long-distance love, and a stretch of beach that was always meant to be protected.
001 · Leslie Duckworth
It began with Leslie.
Leslie Duckworth was one of a kind, brilliant, brave, creative, and completely impossible to separate from the story of this place. She was married in Lamu and began her villa-design chapter in Shela, where she built four beautiful houses: Shela, Palm, Garden and Beach House.
Later, she found her paradise on Kizingoni beach, quiet, wild, private, and mostly untouched. She wanted to protect this stretch of the island from over-development. For the first five years, she planted diligently across the 24 acres: palms, trees, shade, softness, life. Then she designed seven beautiful Swahili-inspired villas, sandy in colour and nestled into the flora she had grown, so they would blend into the landscape rather than dominate it.
While building Kizingoni, Leslie lived in a grass hut on the hill, the first dwelling on this beach, still standing today as Ohana Cabana.
002 · Anna
Anna — the mindful CEO.
Anna spent much of her childhood on Lamu Island, watching her mother design and build beautiful spaces. At 13 she won a scholarship to Oakham School in the UK. She went on to study neuroscience at university, explore a career in TV with the BBC, and experience life as a professional wakeboarder. She met her husband, Shawn in Maui where they were married and lived together for a few years. In 2017, Anna and Shawn returned to Kenya to support her mother, Leslie, and she eventually transitioned into a role of primary care, a period of profound connection with her mother and life, that shifted her perspective on what really matters. And re-ignited her passion for wilderness and wellness.
In the wake of her mother’s passing, Anna chose to revive The Cabanas and Mukima Manor. She is a talented architect of “experience”, designing every detail to ensure guests feel a sense of warmth, care and elevation. By integrating her expertise as a neuro-somatic health coach into her leadership, Anna fosters an environment where nature, health, and adventure exist in effortless balance. She leads with a gentle hand, proving that business leaders can be both successful and deeply mindful.
003 · Shawn
Shawn -the rock.
Shawn is originally from Maui, Hawaii and is Anna’s husband. They are rarely seen apart. Shawn became a professional kitesurfer at age 12, competing internationally for over a decade. At 23, he built his own Arborist Company in Maui. He then joined Anna in Kenya to support her conservation film work and later helped to create The Cabanas on Lamu Island. Shawn is the technical heart of the operations, having solo-engineered and built the solar farms, plumbing networks and wifi grids for both hotels. Certified as an arborist, he leads the ambitious forest rewilding project and all strategic operations, from systems and sustainability to technology and logistics.
Shawn and Leslie had a very special bond, he worked with Anna and Leslie for three years before Leslie’s passing. He now supports Anna in breathing new chapters into Leslie's creative spaces she left behind for all to enjoy.
004 · The Three Musketeers
Three years, three musketeers.
For three unforgettable years, Leslie, Anna and Shawn poured their hearts into The Cabanas. They called themselves the three musketeers, planting, building, dreaming, laughing, and shaping the soul of The Cabanas together.
Those years still live here: in the palms, the cabanas, the dhow, the pods, and the feeling that this place was built with pure love.
005 · Today
We are honoured to share it with you.
Today, The Cabanas is a place of authentic warmth, barefoot luxury, creature comforts, good food, deep rest, sustainability, and the kind of happiness that comes when a place feels truly alive.
It is a family story, a love story, a design story, and a promise to keep this stretch of coast feeling wild, generous and authentically Lamu.
— for Leslie, with love.
Karibu. Welcome.
We are very glad you are here. Come and experience the quiet rhythm of island life.
Begin Your Stay