KENYA: Tourism Stakeholders Reject Najib Balala Proposal To Merge All Tourism Associations In To One

Some Tourism stakeholders has rejected a government proposal to dissolve all tourism associations and merge them into one representative body.

Last week, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala had suggested that the sector's players establish one lobby to represent the interests of those in the private sector rather than having many associations.

Najib Balala said having one body would strengthen their voice and and better help them push their agenda.

It will be easier for me to hold negotiations with officials of one tourism umbrella body rather than officials from 24 tourism associations, Mr Balala had said.

However, the Tourism Professional Association (TPA) has come out to oppose the bid saying the law supports formation of regional associations to represent interests of various players.

The Tourism Cabinet Secretary’s suggestion is against the TRA (Tourism Regulatory Authority) Act which encourages establishment of regional tourism associations, TPA interim secretary Sam Ikwaye said Monday, adding that the different associations represent different interests.

Mr Ikwaye also says devolution had further segmented the goals of different tourism organisations in the 47 counties.

There is no way we can dissolve the tourism associations to form one association as the interests of hoteliers are different from those of tour operators or travel agents, he added, citing the Kenya Coast Tourism Association for tourism players and the Kenya Association of Tour Operators for tour operators.

Currently, there are more than 40 associations representing the interests of different investors in the industry.



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KENYA: Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Investigates Jambojet

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is investigating Jambojet after thousands of the domestic airline’s passengers were flown in a large plane that could not land at Ukunda Airstrip in Kwale County.

The airline, owned by national carrier Kenya Airways, was faulted for diverting the plane to Moi International Airport, Mombasa, and transporting the passengers by road amid the hectic activity of crossing the Likoni Channel by ferry.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General Gilbert Macharia Kibe said the investigations will also cover overbooking, which led to passengers being stranded for days at various airports.

In a December 30, 2016 letter to Kenya Coast Tourism Association chairman Mohamed Hersi, Mr Kibe stated that the KCAA will also investigate delays and cancellations of flights to Malindi and Lamu and Ukunda at the eleventh hour without properly informing the affected passengers.

“We at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority would like to assure you and all other stakeholders that we are investigating the matter and, if the airline is found culpable, we shall take the necessary action,” said Mr Kibe in a letter signed on his behalf by someone identified as "S Wesechere".

There were widespread complaints by hoteliers, who were dealt a major blow after thousands of domestic tourists failed to reach their destinations.

Thousands of passengers flying to Lamu for the annual Maulid Festival had to cancel their trips as others arrived days late.

Others opted to travel by public service vehicles plying between Mombasa and Lamu, a journey that takes almost nine hours due to security checkpoints between Garsen in Tana River County and Mokowe in Lamu.

Some passengers who were to fly from Malindi to Nairobi were ferried by road to Mombasa to board flights at Moi International.

Mr Hersi had challenged the KCAA to ensure airlines operated by the rules and regulations so as to ensure tourism and other sectors of the economy that depend on the aviation industry proceed uninterrupted.

“To KCAA, we have 30,000-plus beds to fill, we have 100,000 Kenyans who earn both directly and indirectly from tourism at the Kenya Coast. As a regulator, why do you allow such sloppy service?” Mr Hersi asked.

He added: “You’re equal on matters of communication when you gave mobile telephone companies sleepless nights for dropped calls and other mundane stuff, while you guys sit pretty when holidays are messed up, connecting flight to international flights are all messed. You have a duty and a role to play. Take action,”

In an interview with the Nation, Mr Hersi said it was not their wish for Jambojet operations to be suspended by the KCAA.

In a statement, Jambojet customer service manager Mary Mwangi said the carrier’s smaller aircraft could not handle the high volume of bookings.

“We apologise to all concerned for the unpleasant nature of this entire experience and assure all that we are doing our utmost to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” said Ms Mwangi.

Two months ago, Jambojet announced additional flights to all destinations in the country, including Lamu, ahead of the festive season.

Jambojet Chief Executive Officer Willem Hondius said: “We are cognizant of the increased demand for flights during the festive season as people go on holiday or travel back home."

KENYA: Jambojet Dissapoints Passengers, With Delays, Cancellations And Negligence

'They should be sued for the damage they caused to our travel plans' shouted a passenger from Kenya, who had been booked to travel to Lamu on Jambojet but was offloaded at Malindi's Airport and left to fend for himself and his family.

Jambojet, one of Kenya's low cost airlines, had over the past days, according to affected passengers, set new lows for dealing with delayed and canceled flights, in particular vis a vis response times of emails and social media queries, where, if at all, template replies appear to have been copied and pasted by Jambojet staff.

Only days after the full impact of the delays became public did the airline finally admit what aviation pundits had already established, that technical issues with one of the airline's leased Q400's saw the entire schedule literally fall apart, with travelers booked to the Ukunda airfield close to the Diani beaches being dumped at the main airport in Mombasa, having to make their own way to their resorts.

'I booked my flight to Ukunda because I want to avoid the dreadful drive through Mombasa and then the agonizing wait at the ferry. Flying directly saves many hours each way and Jambojet stole those precious vacation hours from us. How can an airline just dump us in Mombasa when our ticket says Ukunda. To make it worse, where was the station manager and duty manager of the airline? This will have consequences, that is all I can tell you right now' ranted another Nairobi based regular reader, fuming with anger.

Meanwhile, Tourists at Diani airstrip Kwale county welcomed by Miss tourism drawn from all 47 counties on Mar 28th 2015, Jumbojet a KQ product made its first stop in Diani Kwale County.

Hoteliers at the Coast have accused low-cost carrier Jambojet of “dumping passengers” midway their journeys and delaying flights. Through their lobby group – the Kenya Coast Tourism Association – the hoteliers said the carrier has been dumping passengers destined for Ukunda and Malindi at the Moi International Airport (Mombasa).

“Passengers heading to Ukunda chose a direct flight to avoid the pain at the ferry, and you go ahead to subject them to the same pain again without any qualms. Why don’t you just sell what you can handle instead of giving a false promise of having the capacity to land in Ukunda or Malindi,” KCTA chairman Mohammed Hersi said. He said the inconveniences are hurting domestic tourism , a blow to hotels. However, Jambojet said it has had “unexpected technical challenges” on its fleet that operates most of its coastal routes.

“Additionally, the delivery of our newly leased aircrafts initially schedules for introduction during the peak season was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, and will only be delivered in early 2017,” the management said in a statement yesterday.

This, it said, has forced the carrier to reschedule flights and carry passengers on smaller aircrafts, while re-routing others via Mombasa using Kenya Airways flights. “We apologise to all concerned for the unpleasant nature of this entire experience and we will resolve the issue,” the management said.

KENYA: Longest 19 Hour Traffic Jam

Kenyan police are trying to ease a traffic jam reportedly stretching for 50km (30 miles) on the highway between the port of Mombasa and the capital, Nairobi.

The road is not only crucial for Kenya, but also the region, as it links the port to East Africa's landlocked countries.

The worst-affected area is around Taru, about 80km from Mombasa.

Travellers say the jam has been caused by repairs to the road following heavy rains.

Hundreds of travellers were left stranded in a 19-hour traffic jam that crippled transport on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway.

The gridlock, which lasted from Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon, was caused by unfinished work on a road diversion in Taru and a heavy downpour that rendered the muddy stretch impassable.

A large number of buses, trucks, tour vans and other private vehicles were trapped in the jam that stretched from Maji ya Chumvi in Kwale County to Maungu in Taita-Taveta County, as the travellers waited for any form of intervention to enable them to resume their journey.

Some of the motorists opted to use alternative routes, including passages cleared for use by contractors building the standard gauge railway.

The motorists and travellers accused the road contractor of taking too long to complete the stretch.

Parents, accompanied by their children, agonised the most as they sought to make the young ones comfortable in the face of biting hunger and thirst.

Shops located between Mariakani and Maungu towns on the busy highway ran out of food after the stranded travellers bought all the stock.

“We have sold out all foodstuffs and soft drinks. All loaves of bread, biscuits, water, soda and anything edible is finished.

“The sad part is that we cannot get (more supplies) as the road is totally clogged up for the last 19 hours,” said Mr Michael Mwangadu, a shopkeeper at the Msufi trading centre, near Taru.

Vegetable transporters were forced to cook and feed on part of their merchandise after hunger pangs became unbearable.

A truck driver, who was transporting vegetables from Taveta to Kongowea Market in Mombasa, said he had to offload some of the vegetables and cook at the Mailikubwa trading centre.

He shared it with the other hungry travellers.

Buses from Kampala, Busia, Nairobi and other upcountry towns too got stuck at the Taru stretch, with the first bus that left Nairobi at 5pm on Tuesday arriving in Mombasa at noon Wednesday.

A traveller said “I left Mombasa at 9.30pm yesterday. I am only at Taru, 60 kilometres away.”

“Things are very bad. Traffic is not moving.”

Another traveller said he left Nairobi at 5pm on Tuesday. He was in the first bus that arrived in Mombasa at noon Wednesday after staying in the jam for 17 hours.

Traffic jams have recently become a common occurrence between Mariakani and Bachuma Gate, a stretch of about 50 kilometres.

Coast regional traffic police commandant Martin Kariuki said he had mobilised a contingent of traffic officers from Voi, Mackinnon Road, Taru, Samburu and Mariakani to deal with the situation.

“I am here with enough officers trying to direct vehicles but it’s hard because it has rained and the diversion is muddy,” said Mr Kariuki.

Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) Chief Executive Officer Wellington Kiverenge said the jam had caused massive losses to transporters and travellers.

“The jam is a major blow to transport business in the entire northern corridor. It has affected not only Kenya but the whole eastern Africa region,” he said.

Kenya National Highways Authority official Charles Njogu said engineers were expected at the site to deal with the problem.

Ongoing problems with the ferry services across the Likoni channel from Mombasa island to the southern mainland and massive traffic jams on the Nairobi to Mombasa highway outside Kenya’s port city have once again prompted key tourism stakeholders to issue sharp protests to the government.

While Mombasa County Governor Hassan Ali Joho repeated his demand for a bridge to be constructed to ease the daily struggle of commuters to get into and out of Mombasa is this project, if at all it materializes, still years away. Meanwhile, thankfully, is construction ongoing to link the international airport and the Nairobi to Mombasa highway to the south coast with a bypass via Dongo Kundu, now finally under construction but not ready for at least two more years.

‘The Governor is right, something must be done for commuters in and out of Mombasa. The Dongo Kundu bypass is for traffic from the airport to the south coast or from Nairobi but those who have to get into the city from the southern mainland, they have no option but to cross the channel. The ferries are notoriously unreliable and frankly speaking a disaster waiting to happen.

They should start by firing the top managers who just talk hot air. We in Mombasa are fed up that Nairobi should get so many bypasses and highways and we at the coast remain neglected. It has been like this for decades, no second bridge across to the northern mainland, no convention centre, no this and no that. Tourism at the south coast has suffered very much from such shortcomings and now they even destroy the beaches there with sand dredging.

It is as if those bigwigs in Nairobi are hell bent to destroy the coast’s main economic activity. It the government wonders why they keep losing elections at the coast, that is a place to start looking’ ranted a regular source from Mombasa when venting his frustration over these ongoing problems.

Traffic into Mombasa started to grind to a standstill on Tuesday when work carried out by contractors for the Kenya National Highway Authority first slowed down a growing number of trucks, busses, saloon cars and safari vehicles before torrential rains turned the hastily opened dirt road bypass into a mud quagmire in which one vehicle after another got stuck.

Social media messages showed desperate appeals from passengers to be rescued as they ran out of food and water while the few shops along this stretch of road, with prices for essential items reportedly rising by the hour, eventually closed after selling out what they had in stock.

Mohammed Hersi, Chairman of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association and CEO of Heritage Hotels left no doubt where he stood in this saga when he posted on his Facebook page:

As tourism players we raised this concern two months ago yet Kenha simply sat on its hands . What is so hard in getting a contractor to do his work with money given to you by KRA. In business we must raise revenue first before we can think on how to spend it. In goverment the revenue authority collects it and it is disbursed through treasury to bodies like Kenha . In 2015 vehicles getting stuck in a regional highway . What is so hard in fixing a single lane road ? What is so hard in coming up with a proper diversion ? Totally unacceptable . Bure kabisa ......

A few weeks earlier had Mohammed taken issue with the Kenya Ferry Services when he posted this comment:

Folks 3 Ferries are in now operation but a radical surgery is required at KFS.

What is painfully clear is that tourism, and trade for that matter too of course, are suffering immensely from these all too frequent interruptions and that what is being done to address the ferry breakdowns and eternal traffic jams seems too little too late. With anti-travel advisories against the Kenya coast now by and large lifted is it of paramount importance that visitors are able to do their two, three or four days safaris to Tsavo, Taita Hills and Amboseli by road without losing much time sitting in traffic jams when instead they should sit comfortably in their safari cars watching game in the parks.


It is important that those who chose to fly to Mombasa for a holiday can cross the Nyali bridge enroute to the north coast hotels and the Likoni ferry without wasting hours waiting for their turn to get on a ferry to reach their resort in Diani or else bite fingernails on the way to the airport, fearful they might miss their flights. If not, those tourists, confronted with such issues, may come to regret their choice of destination and under present circumstances, when every single extra tourist counts, this should be avoided at all cost.

Good wishes for better days ahead, in terms of increased visitor numbers but also to solve those perennial issues on ferry crossings and traffic into and out of Mombasa.