Tour operators hail Sh300m road allocation
Written by Wangui Maina
Business Daily Africa
June-2007
Visitors travelling using roads to Kenya’s many tourist destinations may have an easier ride, as the Government is set to pump Sh300 million into improving roads in national parks and game reserves.
The allocation has been welcomed by the tourism sector as poor road conditions have proven a thorn on the side of not only travellers, but the tour operators who have seen complaining customers and rising operational costs due to vehicle repairs and replacements.
Several major tour companies say they have to invest in new vehicles and replace spare parts more often because of the poor roads, and say the conditions can make tourists anxious and concerned, however good the rest of their experience may be.
Roads leading to the Maasai Mara, Samburu and Amboseli have been pin-pointed by the industry as some which need re-carpeting immediately.
According to Dan Kagagi, chief executive, Tourism Trust Fund, the need to improve and develop roads is crucial if the tourism sector is to continue in its growth and “it would also lead to the opening up of other attractions in the country.”
Duncan Muriuki, chairman of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators, supported the move by Finance minister, Amos Kimunya to allocate more funds to the development of infrastructure as a whole, which he said will lead to positive impacts for the country in the long run.
In December last year, hundreds of tourists spent hours stuck on roads as heavy rains washed away much of the infrastructure in parks such as Maasai Mara.
Peter Wachira, a driver with a tour operator, says nothing has changed since then.
If put to good use, the Sh300 million could reduce the number of hours drivers like Mr Wachira spend on the roads.
Currently, a 300-km trip to Maasai Mara from Nairobi that should take five hours, takes up to eight due to the poor state of the roads.
And other stretches give tour operators nightmares as well.
The road from Isiolo Town into Samburu National Park is another notorious stretch, on which operators expect to have several flat tyres, and usually drive off the road where the ride is smoother.
The state of the Isiolo road has been brought into focus after the government identified the town, north of Mt Kenya, as one of three including Mombasa and Turkana that could be developed into fully fledged resort towns.
Mr Kimunya has said such resorts could help generate income and employment for areas outside the capital. Some players asked questions of whether Sh300 million is sufficient, and which roads would be catered for first.
Joash Olum, operations managing director at Somak Kenya, a big tour operator, wondered if the funds would focus on parks under the management of Kenya Wildlife Service or also tackle roads in reserves such as the Mara and Tsavo, which are mainly the responsibility of local county councils.
“Samburu, Maasai Mara and Tsavo belong to the respective county councils who are mandated to maintain the roads in the park,” said Mr Olum.
Those councils have been criticised for neglecting roads in their respective parks and the Ministry of Tourism has been pushing for councils to contribute a set amount of income to road maintenance.
Narok Council, which controls most of Maasai Mara, has already agreed to the scheme.
Mr Kimunya spoke of the importance of tourism to the economy in his Budget speech, but estimates tabled last week show the minister cut allocations for marketing the country by Sh300 million compared to last year.
Tourism has risen to be the highest foreign exchange earner to the economy bringing in Sh56.2 billion last year as arrivals rose to 1.8 million.
