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Kenya: Sh31m Airstrip Set to Uplift Growth of Tourism in Region
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The Nation (Nairobi)
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 26 March 2008
Michael Njuguna
Nairobi
Light clouds scudded across the sky as Kenya Wildlife Service chief pilot Anthony Kiroken guided his 14-seater plane to a perfect landing at Lake Nakuru National Park's new tarmac airstrip at exactly 9.50am.
Among pilot Kiroken's passengers were the KWS chief executive officer Julius Kipng'etich and several senior officials of the organisation.
On the ground to receive them were the KWS regional assistant director, Mrs Anne Kahihia, mayor David Gikaria and several councillors, the manager of Barclays Bank, Nakuru branch, Mr Daniel Muya, representatives of the hotel industry and civil aviation, among others.
There were also representatives of the provincial administration, manufacturing companies and the Kenya Army, Lanet.
Engineers and other officials of Adequate Machinery Construction Company which built the 1.2-kilometre long airstrip, at a cost of Sh31 million, were also at hand for the handing over ceremony.
The commissioning of the new Class 'B' airstrip was aptly described during speeches made later by leaders as a umbilical cord that will marshal the economic recovery in central Rift Valley and beyond.
Lake Nakuru National Park and other tourist destinations in the area were beset by the post-election violence, which saw the number of tourists drop by about 88 per cent in February.
But Mr Kipng'etich extolled the benefit of all the stakeholders pooling their producer resources to enable the country overcome the past misfortunes, get back on the track and focus on Vision 2030.
Mr Kipng'etich said that KWS was in the process of repositioning Kenya as a premium tourist destination by upgrading infrastructure in all the parks.
Protected parks
He said the new all-weather airstrip, the best in central and southern Rift Valley, would turn the area into an investment hub and open up the picturesque sceneries and rustic resorts that spread all the way from Hell's Gate in Naivasha, Lake Bogoria, Menengai Crater and the Maasai Mara.
Tourists will now be able to fly to Nakuru from Mombasa, the Maasai Mara and most of the other protected parks in the country, where the KWS is upgrading airstrips. Among the parks, where the KWS is to upgrade airstrips is Ruma in Suba, Mt Elgon, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Meru National Park and Mweiga.
The KWS is also to provide an aircraft to each of its eight regions and allocate more sites for new lodges in the protected parks.
Lake Nakuru National Park has two lodges - the Lake Nakuru Lodge and Sarova Lion Hill. Tariffs will also be reviewed to ensure that the country reaps maximum benefit from its rich wildlife. He cited the case of Rwanda where tourists pay $500 to watch gorillas for an hour.
In Kenya, Mr Kipng'etich said, tourists pay only $40 to watch the big five and other animals and birds for 24 hours.
He said that while the KWS was determined to make Kenya one of the best tourist destinations, the other stakeholders, including local authorities such as Nakuru municipality, must wake up from complacency and play their part in the burgeoning national and international tourism arena.
Economic driver
Mr Kipng'etich said that sectors such as agriculture had reached a plateau and tourism had taken over as the key economic driver.
"You must see each planeload of tourists landing here as a source of employment and market for agricultural produce. The hotels will need eggs, vegetables and other foodstuff. This airstrip is a national resource and you must make the best out of it," Mr Kipng'etich told his listeners, who included farmers from the neighbouring Naishi farms.
Mr Kipng'etich said the new airstrip would play a key role in increasing visits to Lake Nakuru National Park and consequently raise revenue for KWS, lodges in the park and hotels in Nakuru Town.
He said the aviation industry would be an increasingly important means of transport for tourists, especially in areas where the road network was poor.
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Protection base
An engineer told the Nation that the 1.2km long, 18m wide airstrip was suitable for domestic use, "but even a jumbo can land here in case of an emergency".
Naishi section of the park, where the airstrip was built, has the offices of the Rhino Sanctuary protection base managed by KWS. It was here that the first rhinos from Solio Ranch in Laikipia were held in an enclosure and fed for several days before being released into the wild.
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