This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has already dealt a significant blow to Kenya's tourism sector, and now the annual wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve is expected to delay this year.
The delay is attributed to the burning of grassland savanna along the Maasai Mara game reserve bordering the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, as well as prolonged rains that led to the growth of pasture in the Mara/Serengeti ecosystem.
According to experts, the wildebeests are yet to be spotted, and the delay is expected to impact the tourism sector in Kenya, which has already been hit hard by the pandemic.
From the local Maasai community who leased their lands for wildlife conservation to tour guides/drivers and hoteliers who solely depended on tourism, life has not been the same.
Wilson Kiserian, a community tour guide at Entesekera Manyatta, is now jobless and back to herding livestock. 'Before Corona virus, business was good and the community was happy to entertain tourists as women ventured into selling bead artifacts,' he said.
However, currently, the Maasai community relies on selling their livestock to sustain their livelihoods, a move that exposes them to poverty.
Secretary General East Africa Tour Guides/Drivers Association Felix Migoya expressed optimism that domestic tourism would greatly assist the sector if the President opens up inter-county movement.
He also wondered why the Ksh 500 million stimulus package meant to stabilize tourism was only allocated to hoteliers and airlines leaving out tour guides and drivers who play a huge role in the sector.
Alfred Korir, a hotelier who owns the Zebra Plains Camp at Talek, has appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider opening up Nairobi to enable domestic tourism at the park.
