6 Lions killed outside Nairobi national park.

Reports were got yesterday about the 6 lions that were killed outside Nairobi National Park and this incident has sparked off serious human wildlife conflict to the forefront again and also revived the conflict between the conservation group in Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service which is blamed for the incident as they have done nothing to protect these animals from being killed by the illegal hunters. They things seem, it’s like KWS seems is not will and frightened to utilize the law to capture the law offender and then bring them to justice.

They always to pretend to be the masters in smaller cases like when they are taking the cheetahs from the Mara to Nairobi something that does not require a lot of funds but when asked to sort out a serious matter, they always chicken out. They have always known that these lions were out there on free range system and have always been asked d to get them back into the park but then paid a deaf ear and right now, it is so unfortunate that they are reacting so fast to picking up the carcasses.  According to this source, apparently there are also other elephants that have been killed by the poachers in Mt. Kenya as well and yet they could have been protected from them as there are allegations that  KWS was told about these elephants early enough by the local people but they did not react.  He said that he thinks that there is some luck of responsibility among the leaders of KWS.

The source confirmed that he had to be arrested by Dr. Julius Kipngetic for challenging him in public as after getting to write an angry conservation from Nairobi with the help of a source that I would prefer not to mention to protect him from going through a similar problem that the CEO of Eco-Tourism Kenya suffered some weeks ago. There were four carcasses of the  poached elephants without tusks found not so long ago near the Ndumanu / Mathira East location by local people  which has is a great loss as it has led to a great decrease on the elephant population. It is shocking that KWS was not able to protect these animals when just a few weeks ago they bragged a bout having established a task force which would be able to deal with such incidents but what have they done? When will they start working?

East Africa Ready to Set a Standard Visa fee

The news from Arusha, Tanzania reveal that all East African countries which include Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya have come to an understanding  about the tourist visa fees with an intention of improving on the performance of the tourism industry and therefore be able to increase on the amount of revenue that is collected in the region’s revenue. And according to some Tanzanian official, this uniform tourist’s visa fee will also help market East Africa as one single tourist’s destination.

According to the report, each of the three countries is currently charging $50 but they are still discussing other measures they have to undertake to market the region as a single destination so said Lazaro Nyalandu the deputy minister of natural resources and tourism. He added while addressing people at the opening of a three-day Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair held at the Magereza open grounds in Arusha, Tanzania that it is most likely tat the three countries will have one regional tourist visa given the fact that they have been able to come up with a single customs union and will keep on executing the regional common market protocol.

The Karibu travel and tourism fair attracted over 250 exhibitors from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo and many more countries which exposed it to more potential markets. It was organized by the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT). Lazaro Nyalandu said that Tanzania had come out as the victor in a similar event called the INDABA which was in Durban, South Africa, from May 12 to 15, 2012.

Satbir Hanspaul who is the managing g director of Hanspaul Automechs said in the East African Business Week that this introduction of a single visa will help East Africa become one cheap tourist’s destination and therefore attract tourist from lots of countries who would have gone to other countries.  And Boniface Byamukama, Chairman of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators said even though discussions for single visa are still going on, it is important that East Africa is marketed as a single destination.

19 Baby Gorillas Named in Kinigi

19 baby gorillas, including a set of twins and one female adult, have been given names in a colorful ceremony held at the foot of Virunga Mountains in Kinigi-Musanze District, Northern Province. Thousands, among them members of the diplomatic corps, foreign dignitaries, international journalists and conservation enthusiasts from across the world, witnessed the naming of the gorillas in the annual Kwita Izina event. Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi officiated at the 8th edition of the naming ceremony during which he and other selected individuals gave names to the 19 babies, including a pair of twins named Impeta and Umudende. Habumuremyi named the gorilla "Gikundiro" loosely translated as "the beautiful one". "I called it the Gikundiro because it was voted by Rwandans as the lovely and cutest baby gorilla," said the Prime Minister.

The Chairman of East Africa Tourism Platform, named another one Akarabo (beautiful flower). The Prime Minister said the Kwita Izina ceremony continues to exhibit Rwanda's commitment towards conservation of gorillas and that the annual event remains a very important occasion on the national calendar. "It is the government's goal to balance the material needs of our people with safe-guarding our environment," he said.

The International community was hailed for being part of the event, which, is very important in promoting the most treasured animals in the country. "We cannot increase our tourist numbers unless all our guests feel at home and are well taken care of," he noted.

Habumuremyi reminded the surrounding communities of the Volcano National Park the importance of the gorillas and the huge sums of money generated from them annually and partly used to improve the livelihood of the surrounding communities. Last year, gorillas generated $9.6 million which was part of the $252 million revenues generated from the tourism industry.

However, effective this month, the gorilla permits were increased by 50 percent in all categories; international, regional and nationals. The gorilla naming event, which was held under the theme "Sustainable tourism for a green economy", was graced by a number of artists who included Kidumu from Burundi, Tom Close and Rafiki among others. John Gara, the CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), commended Rwandans, saying they continued to work with the government to conserve the mountain gorillas. "This year's celebrations comes at a critical time when the degradation of the ecosystems has reached alarming proportions in many parts of the world," he said. Rica Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB retaliated that the tourism industry continues to be the country's top foreign exchange earner. "We are committed to conserve the tourism industry as we protect our mountain gorillas," she noted. About 141 gorilla babies have been named since 2005.

East African Tourism Platform Launched in Kigali

A platform through which EAC tourism products will be marketed in a single package, was launched in Kigali on Thursday, a move expected to bolster the performance of member states' tourism sectors. The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) will work closely with responsible ministries, the private sector to promote tourism through, marketing, skills development, research and information sharing. At the official launch, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said the body will mediate and reduce obstacles to tourism in the region as well as market unique tourism features.

"The vision of a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination is our driving force. Promoting intra-regional tourism will provide the much needed flow of tourists to East Africa," Tourism officials expect the new body to act as a platform to lobby EA governments to adopt a single regional visa for tourists, a request that has been pending for years. "Much has been said about regional integration and many things have been implemented apart from those that directly benefit the tourism sector. Therefore, as one voice in the tourism sector of the region, we will lobby our governments to implement the single visa for the region," Matu Waturi, the Coordinator of EATP, said in an interview.

"Once in place, the single regional visa will ease procedures for international tourists whereby, a tourist with such will be able to travel throughout East Africa without clearing with each and every country's immigration offices." Tour operators welcomed the platform as a likely "hub" for the dissemination of information about unique tourism features that EA has to offer. "East Africa is home to unique sites and wildlife which the world is not fully aware of. We hope through EATP, East Africa will be marketed not only to Europe or America, but to even middle income earners within the region because it is important that they know their region." "Most of the tourists come from Europe, Asia, America and the rest of Africa. Although they are not yet fully tapped into, the middle income earners in East Africa have the potential to contribute significantly to tourism by visiting tourism sites and game parks, thereby becoming greater ambassadors for the sector."

EATP will also engage training institutions and relevant government institutions to lobby for harmonized standards and codes for accommodation establishments and restaurants across the region. After launching in Tanzania and Rwanda, the platform is expected to be launched in other member states before the end of July.

The Uganda Government Gives Buganda Kingdom Sh2 Billion for Reconstruction

The Government will next week disburse sh2b to Buganda Kingdom to fund the reconstruction of the Kasubi tombs that were gutted by fire on March 16, 2010.

The Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, revealed this after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Buganda Kingdom at the Ministry's Headquarters in Kampala. "We delayed while harmonising issues between the Government, Buganda Kingdom and UNESCO in order to kick start the reconstruction of the tombs." it was a big task to reconcile issues of reconstructing the tombs taking into consideration the intangible values of the kingdom, those of UNESCO and the Government. The prime minister of Buganda signed on behalf of Buganda, while Ambassador Patrick Mugoya signed on behalf of the Central Government.

The Buganda Prime Minister said the reconstruction process would cost between sh5b to sh6b, adding that they were under pressure from the public who thought that reconstructing the tombs was taking too long. He said the tombs would be modernised without losing the original architecture