This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
The Kenyan government has unveiled a plan to boost tourism in northern Kenya by reviving tourist destinations in the northern frontier circuit. The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with county governments to develop the tourism sector in line with Vision 2030.
According to Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) will embark on a multi-million-shilling programme aimed at connecting five circuits in the region with Meru National Park. The project will involve the rehabilitation of Bisanadi (Isiolo), Kitui North (formerly Mwingi) and Tharaka-Nithi game reserves, as well as KWS-managed Kora in Tana River and Rahole (Garissa) national parks.
Mr. Balala visited Tharaka-Nithi and Meru counties on Thursday and said that KWS will erect an electric fence around the 350 square-kilometre Tharaka Nithi Game Reserve. He also announced that Sh20 million would be used to repair a bridge destroyed during the recent floods, which links Buffalo Springs in Isiolo and Samburu national reserves.
"The ministry, through KWS, will also rehabilitate local roads in the parks and construct or repair gates and houses of game rangers," the CS said. The programme also aims at curbing insecurity in the region through training of game rangers.
Dr. Mohamed Kuti, the Governor of Isiolo, said that the county generates about 70 per cent of its internal revenue from tourism, and had collected more than Sh200 million from Buffalo Springs and Shaba parks between 2016 and 2019. However, the sector is now struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rehabilitation plan also aims at restoring and conserving biodiversity of the protected areas and the peripheral zones occupied by the community, in order to minimise human-wildlife conflict.
As part of the plan, KWS has already started connecting the two circuits through the construction of a bridge on the Tana River at Kora and airstrips at Bisanadi, Kora and Rahole.
