Historical gallery at Agnes Keith house to be developed

Agnes Keith House

16 May 2025

SANDAKAN: The funding for the development of the Martin & Osa Johnson Gallery at the PWD 2002 Building, Agnes Keith House, Sandakan has been approved.

This funding was approved by the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment initiative, to be carried out this year and is a joint effort by the state government to highlight the history of the exploration of the husband-and-wife duo, Martin and Osa Johnson, in the Kinabatangan region during the 1930s.

The development of the Martin & Osa Johnson Gallery will not only provide visitors with the opportunity to learn about the couple’s exploration history but will also complement the existing tourism offering in the area—Agnes Keith House in Sandakan—which receives an average of 21,000 visitors annually.

This effort is also part of a broader strategy to promote tourism not only in the state of Sabah generally, but also specifically in the Sandakan district.

Furthermore, with Visit Malaysia Year approaching next year, Minister Datuk Christina Liew hopes that the development of this exhibition will attract more tourists to the state of Sabah.