The most prestigious heritage status is the Unesco World Heritage Site. A heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, social or cultural history have been preserved due to their cultural history value. Such sites are usually protected under the laws of the host nation but the status is awarded by a team from Unesco who review suitable sites, submitted by Party States, annually .

Currently there are 1,052 World Heritage Sites located in 165 Party States. Of this number, Kenya hosts six sites: Fort Jesus, Lamu Old Town, Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests, Great Rift Valley, Lake Turkana National Park and Mount Kenya National Park/Forest. Several other sites have been submitted for consideration and are on the Tentative List, awaiting ratification.

Strangely enough, World Heritage Sites trace their origins to the construction of the Aswan Dam mega project in Egypt in 1954.