No new lodges, camps for Mara
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By Cyrus Kinyungu

The Government will not license new developments within the Maasai Mara Game Reserve despite an expected increase in the number of tourists.

Tourism and Wildlife minister, Mr Morris Dzoro, announced the decision saying new developments in the game reserve would put pressure on its capacity, which is over-stretched.

"I wish to state that as a matter of policy and out of concern for the environment and the local communities, that my ministry is no longer licensing new developments within the Mara ecosystem until we have a general master plan in place," Dzoro said.

He was responding to requests by tourism stakeholders, who wanted new developments in the park put on hold. The chairman of Kenya Association of Tour Operators, Mr Duncan Muriuki, said there was no need to add extra beds in the existing lodges and camps in the park. He added that the current bed capacity needed to be wisely managed.

"Improve the quality and maybe, charge a little more," he said.

Speaking at Governors Camp in Maasai Mara when he led a team of journalists, Kenya Tourist Board officials and other tourism stakeholders, Dzoro said the improvement of infrastructure was his ministry’s key challenge.

Among those on the tour were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs Rebecca Nabutola; Kenya Tourism Board Managing Director, Dr Ongong’a Achieng; Kenya Wildlife Services Director, Dr Julius Kipngetich and Kenya Tourism Board Chairman, Mr Jake Grieves Cook.

The tour was organised by Kenya Tourist Board to promote the game reserve locally and internationally.

The directive comes as a disappointment to investors who were hoping to put up more tourist lodges and camps in the reserve.

that's good news jan!

at least the mara itself won't allow any additional pressure on to the animals!
but a lot has to be done in view to the surrounding areas where mostly "monitoring" is just not existing! is there an authority which has got an eye on these "permissions"?

pippa

Pippa:

The above article was in today's East African Standard newspaper.

I think your question is a very legitimate one and perhaps it should be posed to Mr. Julius Kipngetich at KWS and to Mr, Morris Dzoro, Minister of Tourism and Wildlife. As far as I know, those are the only two people who have the authority to do something about it. Mr. Dzoro's email address is http://www.tourism.go.ke/ and Mr. Kipngetich's is kipngetich@kws.org.

I'll also try to get a note off to them this week about this.

jan, you are simply a gem! a never ending source .......

last august when we were staying at kicheche mara camp - which by the way is fantastic and offers great "value for money" we observed

- the mara buffalo camp vehicles: they start the engine in the morning (by pushing the vehicle!) and cannot switch it off during game drives because the only can get it running by pushing the car!!! this means constant impact on to the animals when stopping and poisening all of us! when they get stuck somehow they need other camp's cars to transfer the clients back to the lodge! it's disgusting! but because these african safari club lodges belong to a swiss guy who in the meantime became the second largest employer in kenya - there is literally nobody who can stop this practise - he is just too powerful for that week government. or maybe too much money into privat pockets is involved!

- within a small area of 10 sqare kilometers there are 3 lodges providing accommodation for approx. 320 (!!!) people/160 rooms! means from these 3 lodges allone there are approx. 40 - 50 cars driving within a small range!
no monitoring - no nothing! plus the minibusses often driven by "guides" from nairobi they just don't know how to behave in an wildlife environment!
as far as i am informed there is everybody allowed to drive there. no qualification is needed. even a "code of conduct" doesn't exist!

and now after recently the 4 councils decided to collect independently the daily tourist or "conservation fee" i doubt that they will agree to any limitation!

but ofcourse we can give it a try!

thanks a lot!

will act as requested!

have a great week - i am in barcelona on tuesday and wednesday...............so you won't here a word from me

pippa