Wolfgang’s East Africa report

SHERATON INTRODUCES ‘ROMANCE’ NIGHTS

SHERATON INTRODUCES ‘ROMANCE’ NIGHTS
Lovebirds checking into the Kampala Sheraton Hotel on Friday, Saturday or Sunday can take advantage of a newly introduced ‘Romance’ package at a cost of 230 US Dollars per couple per night. On arrival the guests will find a bottle of wine in their room, plus a fruit and chocolate platter and a full breakfast will be served directly to the room, avoiding the visit to the Victoria Restaurant for the buffet and possibly ‘prying’ eyes. Check out is also extended until 4 p.m. on the day of departure for guests booked under the package, which is available with immediate effect. A dedicated ‘Ladies Night’ every Thursday was also launched earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, meeting packages, several types of which are available at the hotel, are subject to a 10 percent rebate in coming weeks to make bookings at the hotel more attractive, a most welcome move in these economically challenging times. Visit www.sheraton.com/kampala for more information and bookings at the hotel.

The Sheraton Kampala Hotel has also recently signed a new deal with the Uganda Hotels, Food, Tourism and Allied Workers Union revising retirement terms, pay and other terms and conditions for their unionised workers. Hotel staff and management both hailed the new agreement as a fair deal benefitting workers while considering the hotel’s financial abilities. Notably, many of Kampala’s hotels still do not have union agreements in place, a situation which requires swift remedy.

UGANDA FOOD FESTIVAL FOR 06TH OF JUNE
Ugandan chef turned food and restaurant critic Kaddumukasa Kironde is the brain behind the Ugandan Food Festival due to be held at the ‘Kyadondo Rugby Club’ along Jinja Road on Saturday 06th of June. The daylong event will feature ‘cook outs’ where chefs will test their skills in the public arena and emphasis is on mainly Ugandan food varieties, while international cuisine will of course also feature, recognizing the many different restaurants which opened up in recent years from around the world. Entrance for adults will be just 5.000 Uganda Shillings, or a little over two US Dollars or just under two Euros, and visitors – the organizers expect several thousand during the day to frequent the food festival – will be able to sample food galore. Several hotels and restaurants in Kampala have confirmed their attendance and major sponsors are Coca Cola and Nile Breweries amongst others. Any visitor to Kampala over that weekend is encouraged to come to the venue, which is only a few kilometres from the Central Business District.

MARTYR’S DAY ATTRACTS CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS AGAIN
In spite of the present economic downturn plenty of foreign pilgrims came once again to Uganda to celebrate the annual remembrance at Namugongo, a short way outside Kampala en route to Jinja. The region topped the ‘foreign’ visitors with pilgrims from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi being registered, but from further away still came groups from Nigeria, Italy, the United States and Canada. The memorial at Namugongo was consecrated by none other than Pope Paul VI in the late 60’s and later also visited by Pope John Paul II. Hundreds of thousands of Christians meet at Namugongo every year to remember the 23 martyrs, all of whom were since elevated to sainthood in the Catholic Church.

Faithful from across Eastern Africa had walked at times for days and weeks to reach the venue of the celebrations in a classic pilgrimage by foot, while others arrived in buses and car convoys from the entire region. Religious ‘tourism’ remains largely underestimated but in fact makes significant contributions to the sector, as the annual Martyr’s Day statistics regularly show.

EMIRATES CONFIRMS AIRCRAFT CHANGES
The Kampala office of Emirates has confirmed that the airline will now use the A380 on their route from Dubai to Bangkok, permitting travelers from Uganda bound for Thailand to experience the unique in-flight experience of flying on the world’s largest passenger plane. The aircraft was at the same time withdrawn from the New York route, it was reiterated. Meanwhile, Emirates has also upped their capacity for the daily Dubai – Addis Ababa – Entebbe flights by switching from Airbus equipment to the B777-200, which offers more seats and more cargo capacity.

TOURIST BOARD STAFF ‘TERMINATED’
Confirmation has been received from affected staff that the recently inaugurated board of directors of the Uganda Tourist Board, in one of their first activities, directed that all staff contracts be terminated. Staff members were also told they could re-apply by 15th of June and that their applications would be considered alongside other applications for positions. The harsh measures come amidst renewed controversy, fueled by a few tourism business operators with a long and often rather personal agenda against UTB’s CEO, but good results will hardly be possible in such an emotionally charged climate. The outgoing CEO of UTB has also been invited for an interview and this is presently pending, mindful of his last few weeks in office. Expect more details in coming editions as you continue to watch this space.

KENYA CELEBRATES ‘MADARAKA DAY’
It was 46 years ago on Monday this week that Kenya, well on the way to independence at the time, took control of her internal administration, half a year ahead of attaining full independence in December 1963. Congratulations on this auspicious day to the people of Kenya, many of whom took advantage of generous low season residents offers and packages by beach resorts and safari lodges to make a ‘get away’, benefiting the tourism sector with some bonus full house occupancies, at least for this weekend.

TURKISH AIRLINES ADVERTISES AMAZING FARES
THY, the Turkish national airline, has earlier in the week offered some of the best deals seen in a long time anywhere in Eastern Africa, although it must be pointed out that once again regulatory charges, fees and taxes are not included, giving intending travelers probably another rude shock when making inquiries.

‘Net’ fares from Nairobi to Istanbul start at US Dollars 399, but destinations like Tel Aviv, London and Moscow go at the same price, while for US Dollars 499 a round trip to the Big Apple, i.e. New York is on offer. The adverts do point out the limited number of seats for this offer so the early traveler birds are likely to actually get the fares on the dates they want to fly. Baggage allowance is also set at 40 KG per passenger and no charges are levied on checked bags.

Turkish Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, giving a seal of quality approval to the carrier, which has since starting their flights to Nairobi has not made a big impact as yet in the market, that is until these fares hit the market.

DELTA CANCELS KENYA FLIGHTS, AGAIN (UPDATE)
In latest information a ‘threat by surface to air missiles’ was floated in the Kenyan media, which was however firmly rejected by the Kenyan authorities, who pointed to a very recent security inspection by American personnel, following which the flights were cleared. KCAA also pointed out that as per the agreement with the Americans increased security personnel had been deployed and surveying stepped up. As reported in the Daily Nation (www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/606540/-/ujrakf/-/index.html) the Homeland Security Secretary was implicated to have personally intervened to have the flights stopped. The government in Nairobi also formally summoned the American Ambassador to express their displeasure over the way the cancellation was handled and it was revealed that such methods were not fit for dealings between ‘friendly nations’.

No other airline flying to Nairobi confirmed that such a current threat has been publicized and none of the international and domestic airlines using JKIA have giving indication that they would cancel any of their flights. Efforts to get a reaction from Delta as to giving a new date when the flights would finally start were not successful by the time of going to press.

ANNUAL ‘RHINO CHARGE’ RAISES AWARENESS AND FUNDS
One of Kenya’s most recognizable conservation support events, the annual ‘Rhino Charge’ took place last weekend and again attracted dozens of participants and hundreds of spectators. However, no further details on collections are presently available.

KENYA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY UNDER FIRE OVER ‘STINK’
Towards the end of last week did news emerge from Nairobi’s main international airport that owing to a burst water pipe the terminal and other areas, including the ongoing construction sites for the expansion of JKIA were left without water. Staff, one of them complaining to this column, spoke of a nasty smell emerging from restrooms, leading to upset scenes by irate travelers waiting for their flights or arriving in the country. KCAA was quick to reject complaints, pointing to contingency plans put into place, but the reality once again relegated the KCAA reaction into the land of fiction, as clearly their measures did not work. KCAA had been under scrutiny for a while over allegations of corruption, mismanagement and poor judgment by its CEO but improvements are apparently still far off.

Meanwhile airport users also raised their concerns that in case of a fire there could be chaos resulting as no water would come from the hydrants, with one airline staffer again telling this column: ‘this is criminal negligence by KCAA, they charge small fortunes for users of JKIA and yet not provide adequate services, and right now it simply stinks to heaven, it really does’.

The situation has in the meantime normalized but sentiments against the KCAA’s management and capacity have only been strengthened.

GIFTED RHINOS ARRIVE IN TANZANIA
Three Eastern Black Rhinos arrived earlier in the week in Tanzania after completing their long journey from a Czech zoo by air to East Africa. It was a home coming of sorts for the animals, as their ‘parents’ were decades ago sent to a zoo by then Tanzanian government. After the long flight from Europe the one male and two female animals landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport before commencing their final stretch of journey by road to their new home in the Mkomazi Game Reserve, a few hundred kilometres away from JRO. The three rhinos will now undergo a period of monitoring by rangers and vets in a smaller enclosure before being released into the wider reserve. Presently there are 9 of the rhino species in Mkomazi already, all originating from South Africa. This column had reported in past weeks about pending relocations of rhinos to both Tanzania and Kenya aimed at widening the gene pool and encourage breeding to create viable numbers for the survival of the rhinos in the wild.

Being closely involved with the rhino re-introduction to Uganda, this correspondent applauds the generous donation by the Czech government and hopes that the Eastern Black Rhino will also return to Uganda some time soon.

KIGALI HOSTS ‘ELEPHANT MEETING’
Conservationists and wildlife managers from six countries across Africa have met in Kigali last week to discuss a common stand over elephant conservation ahead of the next major CITES meeting. Besides host country Rwanda attendance was recorded from Kenya, Mali, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and the Congo (Brazzaville), with both Tanzania and Uganda notably absent but in any case not members yet of the African Elephant Coalition. In contrast such other countries like Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, Central African Republic, Congo DR, Ethiopia and Eritrea are members and often at odds over elephant conservation with the Southern Africa countries, which time and again lobby for the softening of trade rules of animal products, immediately leading to an upsurge in poaching in other countries. The Kigali meeting’s results will be passed on to those members who could not attend to allow for a common platform ahead of crucial meetings in Tanzania and Switzerland over the next few months. The globally renowned World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF in short, has painted a grave picture, projecting that over the next decade, if no decisive conservation steps are taken, the elephant population in the Congo basin could be decimated if not wiped out.

RWANDA FORMS TOURS AND TRAVEL ASSOCIATION
News from Kigali indicate that last week a professional trade association, the ‘Rwanda Tours and Travel Association’ was formally launched during a meeting at the Kigali Serena Hotel. Membership comprises about 35 companies, all considered as leaders in the industry. RTTA began work several years ago and has now established itself as the premier representative body for travel agents and tour / safari operators in the country. Edwin Sabuhoro, the Managing Director of Rwanda Eco Tours was elected as president of the new trade body, while the former CEO of Rwandair, Mr. Manzi Kayihura, was elected as Committee Member and Technical Advisor for Standards and Training. Manzi is now Managing Director or Thousand Hills Expeditions. RTTA also launched their website on the same occasion at www.rttarwanda.org where their Mission Statement and vision for the industry are available for readers.

Meanwhile, Rwanda will be in attendance at the Karibu Travel Fair in Arusha, the region’s premier showcase for tourism and travel with a fully fledged stand and officials from ORTPN and the private sector promoting the country.

NEW AIRPORT PLANNING WORK ON COURSE
Design work for the new ‘Bugesera’ International Airport in Rwanda seems well on course after the consultancy team of TPS Consult in the UK made extensive presentations to stakeholders last week in Kigali. Once the final design details for the new airport have been agreed upon with government of Rwanda and the aviation fraternity, the work scope is then due to be published and tenders will be invited for the work. Like other major projects presently ongoing in Rwanda, this major infrastructural investment too is expected to firmly cement Rwanda’s future position as a tourism and investment destination in the heart of Eastern and Central Africa.
The same company is also working on proposals to modernize the existing international airport and upgrade its facilities. The runway at Kanombe International is presently 3.500 metres long, providing the hub of air operations for the country’s international and domestic flights.
Meanwhile, Rwanda is in the final stage of passing new Civil Aviation legislation to bring it in line with the rest of the East African Community, under which rules’ laws need to be harmonized and common regulations need to be applied.

SUDAN NOW IMPOSING FOREIGN EXCHANGE LIMITS
News from Khartoum, that permitted foreign exchange purchases are now limited to only 1.500 Euro equivalent, went down badly amongst the Southern Sudanese business community. The Sudanese Central Bank, where the decree originated from, cited lack of sufficient foreign exchange reserves, but the Southern Sudan was in any case being cash starved when remittances due to the South from oil revenues under the CPA of 2005 were allegedly deliberately ‘shortened’ and in fact done in Sudanese Pounds as opposed to US Dollars. The South Sudan is presently a semi autonomous region, due to vote on independence in a referendum in 2011 and has progressively established their own trade routes and supply lines via their neighbors Uganda and Kenya. Limiting foreign exchange allocations will hamper the hitherto relatively free trade and likely cause a secondary or ‘black’ market for hard currencies, further sliding the Sudanese Pound’s value. Said one reliable source in Juba to this column earlier in the week: ‘the sooner we can hold out referendum the better. When people outside talk of Sudan they only think of the genocide in Darfur and other bad things the regime in Khartoum does. We in the South are different and should decide our own destiny. We are not the same like the regime in Khartoum. And we should not suffer of the sanctions imposed on Khartoum by international community and the US, because we were never part of the crimes they committed.’

Travel from Juba to the rest of the region is likely to suffer as a result of the new impositions and the trends will be monitored and reported in future editions of this column.

Wolfgang’s East Africa report

UGANDA TAKES WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATIONS TO THE RWENZORIS

UGANDA TAKES WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATIONS TO THE RWENZORIS
The annual World Tourism Day celebrations took place this year in Kasese, a township on both the doorsteps of Queen Elizabeth National Park and the foothills of the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ or Rwenzori Mountains. Emphasis this year was on climate change, a matter often addressed in this column in past years. One of the main elements of the Millennium Development Goals is environmental sustainability and the largely nature based tourism industry in Uganda, and the entire region for that matter, depends overwhelmingly on intact biodiversity, the protection of the region’s wildlife and conservation and preservation efforts. The official position in Uganda has been both hot and cold in this respect, as ongoing arguments over the future of the Mabira Forest, the Cycad Forest outside Queen Elizabeth National Park, open quarry mining for limestone inside Queen Elizabeth National Park and other controversial projects show. Encroachment on duly gazetted protected areas like national parks, game reserves and forest reserves alike, due to human pressures has fuelled a political debate to find a balanced way forward, taking human needs into account while at the same time maintaining wetlands, maintaining the country’s rich biodiversity and entering global best practice in all aspects of commerce, industry and human lifestyle in general. Commitments made by governmental representatives during the WTD celebrations will undoubtedly be measured in coming months on the reality on the ground to see if lip-service to these high aspiration goals can indeed be transformed into concrete action on the ground.

MWEYA REFURBISHMENT ON COURSE
The premier safari lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, strategically located on a peninsula protruding into Lake Edward and lined by the Kazinga Channel, is now finalizing their refurbishment of furniture and soft furnishings at the lodge, aimed to retain their 5-star rating when the grading of hospitality businesses will eventually unfold. Marasa Limited, the tourism and hospitality subsidiary of the Madhvani Group, expects the exercise to be concluded ahead of the upcoming high season.
It is also understood that the sister lodge in Murchisons Falls National Park, the Paraa Safari Lodge, will be refurbished too once the work at Mweya is complete.
From usually well-informed sources this column also learned that the group has developed an interest in both Rwanda and Zanzibar and that formal announcements could be made sometime soon. Watch this space.

AIR UGANDA APPOINTS NEW COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
Mrs. Jennifer Musiime Bamuturaki was recently appointed Commercial Director of Air Uganda, after the previous office holder from Italy was recalled after less than a year on the job. Jennifer is a well known and highly respected personality in the aviation and tourism industry, having loyally served in the same capacity with East African Airlines until the airline was eventually acquired by Africa Direct of aviation veteran Fred Obbo and all staff made redundant.

Jennifer was already in the starting line up of Air Uganda’s senior staff but was then axed for what appeared to insiders and observers entirely unjustified reasons. Her untimely departure at that time has now become evident as toxic action by the Italian start up CEO, who himself left unceremoniously after only a few more weeks on the job. Her rather triumphant return serves as an indicator that reason and sense appears to be returning to what could still become a sound aviation venture. Watch this space.

RULING ON LIMESTONE MINING DUE TODAY
October 03rd will see the long awaited ruling delivered, whether Hima Cement, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Lafarge, can indeed commence open quarry mining inside the Queen Elizabeth National Park – with all its environmental side effects – or if conservationists carry the day and have the company prevented from despoiling a national park area for which immense sums of money have been spent over the past two decades to restore it to its former glory. The court case was brought by NAPE, the national association of professional environmentalists on behalf of a number of conservation watchdog groups and is generally considered a land mark case, determining the approach for other related cases presently under public scrutiny. Watch out for details of court’s decision next week.

BUSOGA KING SELECTION PUSHED TO END OCTOBER
News have emerged from the Busoga Kingdom’s administration that the much awaited selection of a new ‘Kyabazinga’ has been pushed from 03rd October to 31st October, as ‘the chiefs were not yet ready’ for the exercise. The monarchy in Busoga is not hereditary and has traditionally rotated between the chiefdoms in the past, aimed at promoting unity and allowing opportunity for leadership. The position of ‘chief’ however is hereditary allowing for a succession by the first born son. The Ugandan traditional kingdoms form a major part of the country’s heritage and allows for unique culture tourism opportunities. Watch this space for emerging news.

UGANDA CONFIRMS WTM PARTICIPATION
The Uganda Tourist Board, aka Tourism Uganda, has confirmed their participation in the forthcoming World Travel Market in London, after they secured a strategic partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority, which is co-underwriting the exhibition cost. A new ‘double decker’ stand is to be constructed for the event portraying the country’s tourism attractions from the very best perspective. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has also already confirmed their participation in the trade fair. Make early appointments with the stand management via [email protected] and visit www.visituganda.com or www.uwa.or.ug for their latest updates from ‘Uganda – Gifted by Nature’.

TREMOR RATTLES KAMPALA
On Wednesday late afternoon, some 20 minutes past 5 p.m., a noticeable earth tremor rattled the city and its suburbs and caused consternation, and a little unfounded panic in some quarters. The 15 second long earthquake is thought to have its epicentre some distance away from the capital, and similar rumbles in the past were found to have emerged from the Rwenzori region or Eastern Congo, where near Goma a volcano is active and has erupted only a few years ago. However, no reports from these areas were available when going to press. The quake was estimated to have been in the 4+ on the open ended Richter Scale.

B787 DELIVERIES FOR AFRICAN AIRLINES TAKE FURTHER KNOCK
The latest news coming out of Boeing in regard of their planned B787 ‘Dreamliner’ production is all gloom now, as the ongoing strike action has pushed an already late schedule into the unknown territory. East African airlines like Kenya Airways and Ethiopian will both be scratching their heads before engaging in fresh talks with Boeing over delivery dates and compensation, since both airlines had ordered the B787 to increase their fleets and replace their ageing B767 aircraft. Watch this space

E-TOURISM CONFERENCE SET FOR NAIROBI
The first conference of its kind in Eastern Africa for e- and online tourism experts is now set for Nairobi starting on October 13th, bringing together a range of African and international experts in the field of e-marketing, e-commerce and the use of the latest technologies.

Meanwhile, the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi has launched its first edition of what is to become a regular e-newsletter, sent out by email to a wide range of recipients. Interested parties not yet receiving it can visit the website at www.kicc.co.ke and request to be included in the mailing list for the present and future editions or write to them at: “KICC”[email protected]

CONTROVERSIAL HOTEL SALE UPDATE
“I was betrayed,” claimed the former Kenyan finance minister when he handed in his statement before the Commission of Enquiry, looking into the circumstances of a deal which enraged the Kenyan public and split friends and foes in parliament and government right down the middle across party lines. The former Minister also accused cabinet colleagues of having had a hand in the affair, trying to bring him down, as he was generally perceived as a close ally of President Mwai Kibaki.
Mr. Kimunya himself did not testify in person, as his lawyer had successfully argued that no adverse evidence had been produced against his client, compelling the Commission to forego a personal appearance and accepting a 6 page written statement in turn. The judicial commission of enquiry also had its term extended once again by another month to allow for completion of investigations. Watch this space for the outcome of both the parliamentary and judicial commissions’ findings.

MORE POWERCUTS FOR TANZANIA
The breakdown late last week of turbines in a major power station brought immediate consequences for industrial and domestic users of electricity, when parts of the country were loadshedded both during the day as well as in the evening. Even the commercial capital Dar es Salaam was not spared and reportedly hit by prolonged power outages. The station normally produces some 110 MW of power, almost 20 percent of the overall power generation. Hotels and restaurants in particular suffered from the development and had to use their stand by generators to keep their clientele and patrons happy, but at substantial additional expense. The Tanzanian economy is reported to loose billions of Tanzania Shillings each day the power crisis continues.

TANZANIA LIFTS SOME OBJECTIONS ON EAC INTEGRATION
News have reached from Tanzania that during recent EAC meetings they at last dropped their previous objections on nationals from the four other East African Community member states to move and settle freely under the forthcoming protocol of freedom of movement of people. For the time being however Tanzania is said to limit this to investors and business people from the region, before the wider rights to all citizens of the EAC are being granted. This has been a contentious issue on the domestic political front while it is understood amongst experts that eventually all the internal borders will have to come down to permit a situation as existed in the ‘old’ East African Community, which fell apart in 1977, when Tanzania closed her borders with Kenya and subsequently went into steep economic decline.

RWANDAIR LEASES AIR NAMIBIA B737
It was now learned that Rwandair has finally settled their search for a replacement of their previously leased Air Malawi B737-500. The Rwandan flag carrier has acquired a similar model on a long-term ACMI lease (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) from Air Namibia and flight operations are due to commence in October. This means that the airline can at last resume direct flights from Kigali to Johannesburg, initially three times a week, which had to be suspended when the Air Malawi plane was returned over technical issues earlier in the year. The Boeing will offer 20 business class seats and 88 economy class seats, giving an overall capacity of 108 seats on the aircraft.

An announcement is also expected from the airline in early October over their negotiations with Fly540 / Lonrho Aviation for their purchase of 49 percent of the shares of the Rwandan national airline, after previous bidders Brussels Airlines and Meridiana from Italy had withdrawn from the privatization process. 51 percent of the shares will remain in Rwandan hands, both government and institutional investors, to meet the nationality requirements for bilateral air services agreements, which govern routes between countries.

MULTI MILLION DOLLAR UPGRADE FOR HOTEL MILLE COLLINES
The ‘grand old dame’ of Rwandan hotel keeping, the ‘Mille Collines’ in Kigali, is now due for a massive upgrading and refurbishment exercise, due to commence shortly. Owners ‘Miko Investments’, which purchased the hotel from the former Sabena Belgian airline, will be using funds secured under a special scheme from the International Finance Corporation, the private sector lending arm of the World Bank. The hotel will close for much of October, when most of the heavy-duty work will be carried out, before then embarking on replacing furnishings and fabrics. The exercise is expected to last until middle of 2009, when the 115 rooms and suites hotel will then shine in its former glory once again. Tourism and business visitors to Rwanda have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years and have encouraged a range of new investors to come to ‘the land of a thousand hills’ as Rwanda is fondly known amongst her many friends.

Wolfgang’s East Africa report

UWA OPENS UP NEW RWENZORI TRAILS

UWA OPENS UP NEW RWENZORI TRAILS
As recently reported in this column, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has made good of promises to add more trails up the famous Mountains of the Moon, to cater for a growing influx of visitors to the park. New facilities were added to several huts and new meteorological stations commissioned recently, while rangers and support staff like porters were receiving additional training. UWA has now released information that three new hiking trains are being opened up at present while expressing satisfaction with demand for mountain climbing and hiking by overseas tourists.

NORTHERN BYPASS IN TWO MONTHS
Clearly stung by the acid criticism from the public and pending action from government and the EU, Salini Construction has now released a statement promising to have the long overdue bypass ready and open within two months. Once completed the new highway will keep transit traffic into the West and North of the country out of the city center, hopefully de-congesting traffic substantially. However, in view of previous statements to the same effect it is “wait and see” this time.

Meanwhile, central government has now formally discontinued maintaining city roads, which it has started ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, abbreviated (CHOGM) summit last year and handed all the city roads back to the Kampala City Council. Expect more potholes, says this correspondent, whose own access road off the main road leading to the Commonwealth Resort and the Speke Resort in Munyonyo now resembles a ravine rather than a track or road.

ELEPHANTS DRIVEN BACK INTO PARK
Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers with support from other government organs have now successfully driven a sizeable herd of elephant back into Murchisons Falls National Park, following complaints from residents in the area that their crop are being savaged and their safety in the farms compromised. A similar situation happened a few weeks ago, as reported in this column, when a group of elephants also left Queen Elizabeth National Park near Kihihi, prompting an outcry from the affected residents. That situation too has since been brought under control.

OIL INTERESTS AND CONSERVATIONISTS CLASH
Heated arguments were evolving between the sections of the conservation fraternity and oil company executives over plans to build a mini refinery at the Kaiso-Tonya Wildlife Reserve, which adjoins Murchisons Falls National Park. The head of NEMA, Dr. A. Mugisha, declared that his organization was working hand in hand with the oil companies to minimize environmental impact of the facility on the fragile ecosystems found in the area, but leading conservationists, including Achilles Byaruhanga, head of Nature Uganda, insisted that more harm than good would come from the plans. The developers, Tullow Oil of the UK, was also accused of putting greater emphasis on the commercial and economic argument than making meaningful amends towards the environmental impact and to mitigate in a comprehensive and sustained manner the effects of the proposed refinery.

It was also disheartening to the conservation fraternity to hear from Tullow Oil managers, that ‘like it or not’ the refinery would be built next year even before the hearing concluded and all the arguments were presented, a move widely considered as pure corporate arrogance. Existing law requires that any commercial use of protected areas needs to be first facilitated by a change of use of the area in question by an act of parliament to set aside a particular gazetted area for other uses than conservation. Watch this space.

KAMPALA SERENA REHAB COST TO BE VERIFIED
It is understood that the cost of rebuilding and modernizing the former Nile Hotel International and turning it into the Kampala Serena Hotel is now to be verified on request of the government’s “Privatization Unit.” Frontrunner for the job, out of several shortlisted companies seems to be KPMG, a global auditing and business consultancy firm. The aim of the exercise is understood to be verification of figures released by the hotel’s management in the past and confirm compliance with the privatization terms and conditions set by government in 2004.

KENYA AIRWAYS HALTS SOME FLIGHTS OVER ASECNA STRIKE
It was learned just before going to press that several airlines on the continent, including Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, had to delay or cancel flights into West Africa due to a strike of air traffic controllers in Francophone countries. ASECNA, the agency responsible for handling and administering air traffic control across the continent, could not be reached for comment in regard of when the situation would normalize. It is understood however that many passengers suffered inconvenience and are stranded while awaiting onward transportation to Western Africa or being able to return home to Eastern Africa.

MORE FUEL SHORTAGES HIT KENYA AVIATION
The previous news come on the same day as domestic flights in Kenya also suffered some problems again over the availability of jet fuel at Malindi and Wilson airports, which caused cancellation and re-routings of flights. Some airlines had to fly from Malindi via Mombasa for fuelling, adding substantial extra cost for the operators. It is understood that air operators blame the aviation fuel companies for the insufficient deliveries of fuel to both airports, incidentally a recurring problem in recent weeks are previously reported in this column. However, fuel companies in turn blame the Kenya Revenue Authority for lack of understanding the aviation fuel market and the ridiculous restrictions placed on the distribution of fuel to few ‘gazetted’ airport, leaving other aerodromes often dry. This issue was also mentioned in past columns over events for which KRA too had to bear full responsibility, but they have obviously not learned any lessons.

Some operators at Wilson Airport halted flights altogether while scheduled airlines to and from Malindi are considering their options in view of the added cost, while no fuel is available.

PRECISION AIR DOUBLES ARUSHA FLIGHTS
In a long awaited move has Precision Air, Tanzania’s premier private airline, now added a second flight from Dar es Salaam to Arusha. The airline also announced extra flights to Zanzibar from Kilimanjaro International Airport and Dar es Salaam as well as more weekend flights to Nairobi. As Precision is preparing for the delivery of a second B737-300 they are now positioning themselves to aggressively compete in the market ahead of the expected market entry of new players and amid the ongoing revival of Air Tanzania.

Wolfgang’s East Africa report

PARLIAMENT TO DECIDE ON MABIRA

PARLIAMENT TO DECIDE ON MABIRA
In a rare interview with the National Forest Authority executive director, Mr. Damian Akankwasa, it was pointed out, that the final decision on the use of the Mabira Forest will rest with the country’s parliament. The forest, like many others under NFA management, is a gazetted area and it will take an act of parliament to change or alter its use, before a government proposal to convert a quarter, or over 7,200 hectares of the mature tropical rain forest, into a sugarcane plantation to be owned by the Mehta sugar barons. Meanwhile, the NFA has carried out an aerial survey of Mabira and the results are due to be presented to cabinet, the parliamentary committee on natural resources and the public at large in due course.

NEMA HOLDS REFINERY HEARING
The National Environmental Management Authority will hold a public hearing on July 29 in Hoima over the recently signed agreement between government and Tullow Oil of Britain to construct a mini refinery and thermal heavy fuel oil plant near the upcoming production site. The refinery will initially process up to 4.000 barrels of crude oil per day and the thermal plant will have an initial capacity of 50 MW feeding into the national grid. Construction for both facilities is expected to go underway in early 2009 and preparations are reportedly in high gear to meet the deadline and prepare access to the proposed sites.

It was also learned during the week that work for the Karuma Falls hydro electric plant, incidentally a more environmentally friendly tunnel version as opposed to dam version of the Bujagali project, is due to start in 2009 with completion some three years later.

RWENZORI GETS TWO CLIMATE MONITORING STATIONS
Assisted by the Italian government, research institutions and alpine clubs two weather-monitoring stations, one of which is already using GSM data transmission technology, are now active in capturing crucial data. In an earlier column item reference was made to the ongoing shrinkage of the ice caps covering the mountain range, and new data will help greatly to understand better what the changing climatic conditions mean to the mountainous region. One station is located some 4,000 meters high and was sponsored by the university of Brescia, while the second station sponsored by the Italian Alpine Clubs is located at an elevation of 4,600 meters near the ‘Helena Hut’ on Mt. Stanley. Italian researchers have recently completed field training for park staff to properly manage the environmental sensors and equipment at the higher station and regularly extract and transfer data, as no GSM transmission equipment is in range there, until some additional installations will be complete by late next year. It is understood that some climatic changes have already been noted over the past two years but a longer period of data and indicators will be needed to draw conclusions and establish clear trends.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC REDUCES
Following a series of relentlessly critical articles and revelations in the local and regional media it was now alleged, that cargo rail traffic between Kenya’s sea harbour of Mombasa and Uganda’s capital city Kampala has halved since Rift Valley Railways has taken over the management some time ago. The details were revealed by a high-ranking Kenya Ports Authority manager during a meeting of ‘Seamless Transport Committee’ in Kampala. Figures presented would suggest that now just over 8 percent of the entire cargo traffic between Mombasa and Uganda is transported by rail, compared with nearly 17 percent when RVR took over the management. High hopes were pinned on the privatisation of the Kenyan and Ugandan railways and the management by a private consortium, but these hopes have largely been disappointed. While there were mitigating factors like the violence in Kenya and the damage to installations and railway lines during those trying times, there are other underlying factors to be considered. Only recently has the consortium admitted two new partners to inject fresh capital and there is ongoing talk behind the scenes of a partial or full takeover of RVR by overseas investors with deeper pockets. A strike last week of railway workers in Kenya who were not paid in time has added to the woes of RVR, who are also facing a threat of being sanctioned by the Kenyan and Ugandan governments over not fulfilling certain clauses of the agreements, which could ultimately lead to the termination of the contracts by Kenya and Uganda.

Civil society in Uganda has also blamed the railway operator for failing to introduce passenger commuter transport into the main urban centres to bring relief to overcrowded roads and of course passenger traffic between Kenya and Uganda has still not been restored nor have any visible steps been taken towards its re-introduction. This also prevents tourists from taking in the most extraordinary sights along the railway, as it winds its way from Kenya to Uganda, considered a big loss for the range of tourism products the region could offer, especially when comparing the luxurious rail options available for tourists in Southern Africa like the world famous ‘Blue Train’. The ‘Lunatic Express’ as the train between Mombasa, Nairobi and Uganda was called in the old days seems begging for a restoration.

Is it worth mentioning here that the RVR consortium is led by a South African company? Shy to create competition perhaps?

NAIROBI’S WILSON AIRPORT HIT BY FUEL SHORTAGE
Kenya’s busiest airport, mostly used for domestic flights and flights to the country’s national parks, but also regional charter operations, was running short of JetA1 fuel last weekend, prompting concerns amongst air operators. Various fuels have been hit periodically by supply bottlenecks, and while it is often AVGAS running short or completely dry in Uganda in the past, it is somewhat more unusual and altogether more sinister that JetA1 should run short at Kenya’s busiest airport. No explanation could be received for the suspected causes of the shortage although the international airport in Nairobi was said to be operating normally over the same period of time.

TANZANIA’S RULING PARTY STOPS ZANZIBAR AGITATORS
As reported recently some small agitative sections in the Tanzanian parliament once again raised the question of “independence” for Zanzibar, prompting the Prime Minister to make an authoritative governmental statement in parliament in regard of the constitutional situation. However, when the agitation did not end there the ruling party of the United Republic of Tanzania, the CCM, decreed an end to the loose talk in the interest of the nation. Even the Court of Appeals had ruled in past instances along the lines that Zanzibar was part of the nation and the CCM statement pointed out that ongoing squabbling could affect the stability of the entire country. The speaker of the Zanzibari representative chamber too halted the ill-conceived debate, which had raised eyebrows across the region in an attempt to understand what this was all about.

VIETNAMESE LEARN FROM RWANDA’S TOURISM DEVELOPMENTS
A delegation of Vietnamese tourism operators visited Rwanda last week to study how the country rebuilt the sector following the devastating genocide in 1994 and become a role model across Africa. Rwanda has in recent years won a number of prizes for best exhibition stands and performances in international tourism trade fairs and established itself as a desirable ecotourism destination in the heart of Africa. The delegation also agreed on a reciprocal visit by a Rwandese delegation to explore market opportunities in one of South East Asia’s fastest growing economies.

In a related development it was also learned, that former Kenya Airways CEO Brian Presbury is now deployed in Vietnam and active in building the aviation sector there as he did when at the helm of KQ for several years, during which the foundations for the airline’s current success were laid.

CLINTON TO REVISIT RWANDA
It was learned during the week that former US President Bill Clinton will be visiting Rwanda again later this month as part of an African tour, which will also take him to Ethiopia, Liberia and Senegal. Clinton has been in Rwanda before some years ago and also visited the region, notably Uganda, while serving in the White House. This is another high profile visit to Rwanda, bound to give that extra bit of exposure to the country which then also reflects positively on it’s standing as a tourism destination and supporting its newly found status as an emerging darling nation, setting positive standards and trends for the rest of Africa.

RWANDA – UGANDA BORDER TO STAY OPEN 24/7
The main border crossing between Uganda and Rwanda is presently open for business from 6 a.m till 6 p.m. only, restricting traffic. From next month onwards the border will remain open initially until 10 p.m. and from January 2009 the border post will operate around the clock to facilitate the growing volume of cargo and visitor traffic between the two nations. It was also learned that he ‘seamless transport committee’, which sat in Kampala last week also agreed to add more manpower and extra daily shifts for the customs and immigration officials at the main border crossings between Kenya and Uganda at Busia and Malaba, to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 operations in the future and facilitate the ever increasing cargo traffic between Mombasa and the African hinterland nations of Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Congo and Southern Sudan.

DARFUR MEDIATION ROLE FOR UGANDA
Proposals have been floated to have Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni mediate in the present Darfur crisis to bring about a peaceful end to the armed struggle, which pinned Arabic militias and Khartoum troops against the African population and their self-protection forces. Following the ICC indictment of the Khartoum regime leader Bashir last week for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, things have turned from bad to worse in Darfur with what now appears coordinated attacks on UN peace keepers. Only recently were 7 Rwandese troops deployed under AU and UN auspices killed, as was a more senior officer from Nigeria. Two Ugandan police officers deployed in Darfur were also killed over the past few weeks. Any mediation by the Ugandan president would however most likely seek broader involvement from the AU and the UN to widen the chances of success. Meanwhile, the UN has evacuated non-essential staff from Darfur to their African logistics base in Entebbe/Uganda to minimise the growing risk to their staff deployed in the Darfur region. Southern Sudan’s President Kiir, who is also First Vice President of the Sudan, was also in Kampala during the week, assumed to have discussed the ICC indictment and other matters of mutual concern.

CONGO AVIATION TO GET NEW PLAYER
It is understood from usually well-informed sources in Kinshasa, that RAK Airways from the UAE has been in talks to take over a presently defunct airline in the Congo DR, in which it appears to have either already held or recently acquired shares. The sources confirmed that RAK Airways seems under the impression, that the non operational airline still holds traffic rights for domestic and African destinations and would be able to resume operations once new aircraft, other equipment and staffing and maintenance structures have been put into place. Conventional wisdom however tells that once an airline becomes non-operational, their AOC is due to lapse after 90 days and subsequently all traffic rights and designations vested into the airline also expire. As mentioned in last week’s column, Congo’s dismal aviation record was described as the worst on the continent by AFRAA and what is “normal and usual” in aviation administration in other countries may of course not at all apply to Congo’s haphazard aviation regulatory department. The airline, once and if revived, would reportedly be trading as Air Congo.
Ras Al Khaimah is one of the emirates making up the United Arab Emirates and their government’s state investment company appears to have a number of other including mining in Congo, possibly prompting their sudden interest in aviation in the sprawling central interests African jungle nation. RAK Airways is now operational after two sustained start up delays, which also cost tow ex-CEOs their jobs.

Wolfgang’s East Africa report

ELEPHANTS ON RAMPAGE

ELEPHANTS ON RAMPAGE
Residents from Kihihi, Kanungu district, a community bordering the Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Southern or “Ishasha” sector are up in arms over groups of elephant marauding in the area and feeding from their farms. Efforts to drive the elephant off with simple methods like making noise were not successful so far and community leaders have now called upon Uganda Wildlife Authority and other government organs to chase the elephant back into the park, lest all their crops are destroyed. A growing population along the national park boundaries has in recent years aggravated the problem of coexistence and animals straying out of the park are now immediately entering a farming belt, which has extended to the boundaries with little or no regard of the wild animal population “on the other side.” Yet, some migratory species of animals follow their age-old paths with equally little regard to the new realities of the ‘outside world’ bringing humans and animals on collision course.

SHOCKING REVELATIONS BY NFA ON FOREST DESTRUCTION
The National Forest Authority has just released new data over the relentless assault on forests across the country. The NFA in a recent release in particular pointed at the area of Kibaale and Nakasongola districts, where encroachment and illegal logging is said to be at the highest across the country. This is of particular significance to the tourism sector, as the Kibaale Forest is not only a national park but also home to 13 known species of primates, making it one of the highest primate concentrations in the world. Nakasongola district is home to Uganda’s first rhino sanctuary and a transit route to Murchisons Falls National Park and nearby reserves and protected areas. A viable tourism industry, including a privately managed lodges, has sprung up in both Kibaale and Nakasongola in recent years and like with Mabira are now faced with the stark reality that tourism and conservation are apparently not good enough reasons to protect the environment and move encroachers out of the forests and parks. The report further states that in 1988 some 26 percent of the country were still covered by intact forests which by early 2008 had reduced to only 13 percent, but with a growing threat to the integrity of the remaining forests.

The NFA also decried the trend to cut trees without replanting or by substituting mature tropical trees with ‘lesser’ species like eucalyptus, which are also alien to Uganda besides absorbing less carbon and diluting the country’s biodiversity. It is estimated that by 2012 some 400.000 hectares of forest will have been cut, including ‘industrial’ plantations of pine trees, while only 200.000 acres will have been replanted by then with a loss of variety. The Uganda government is now challenged to intervene and make provisions to encourage tree planting, even on an ‘industrial’ scale, to prevent the country from suffering the same fate as many other countries which stripped their forests away and ended up as deserts with massive impact on their populations.

DUTCH TOURIST DIES OF MARBURG
News broke in Kampala last weekend that a Dutch tourist visitor to Uganda died upon her return home to the Netherlands of the Marburg virus. Details released by the Ministry of Health, the Director General of Health Dr. Sam Zaramba and a further communiqué from the United Nations World Health Organization confirmed, that the woman had repeatedly visited bat caves at Maramagambo Forest during her safari and that apparently at least one bat had fallen on her, being the likely cause of her infection. No other members of her party were so far found to show any symptoms however nor did any members of her family at home or other persons she was in contact with. Bats, and monkeys for that matter, are often suspected to carry the Marburg virus (and similar hemorrhagic fever viruses) and the tourism fraternity was cautioned to avoid taking tourists to such caves. A team from the Ministry of Health and the WHO are reportedly searching the caves in question to try and find the infected bats but have recommended suspending all visits to bat caves in the area until further notice. Embassies contacted also confirmed that there would be no hasty anti travel advisories over this case other than maintaining the usual precautions recommended at present by foreign offices and local diplomatic missions. It was also pointed out by all concerned, including the WHO, that there was “no outbreak” in the country contrary to suggestions made in regional and international media by misinformed ill-wishers. The guide who was on safari with the tourist has in the meantime also been given a clean bill of health by medical authorities as have other Ugandans who were in touch with the sadly deceased tourist.

CHOBI LODGE CONSTRUCTION WELL UNDERWAY
Information received from the Madhvani Group, which also owns and operates the Mweya (Queen Elizabeth National Park) and Paraa (Murchisons Falls National Park) Safari Lodges, indicates that construction is advancing well for the reconstruction of the lodge and work is likely to be completed by April of 2009. Chobi is located in thick forest along the banks of the river Nile above the waterfalls in the Northern part of Murchisons and can easily be accessed via a reopened gate not far from the Karuma Bridge. Driving time from Kampala is estimated to be below four hours and, in particular, fishing aficionados are expected to swarm the lodge when open again to test their skills. The three lodges are part of one of Uganda’s most successful industrial conglomerates, owned by the Madhvani family, which has roots in this East African nation for well over 100 years now. The company went into the tourism business in the 1990’s, when first acquiring the Mweya Safari Lodge and then taking over the Paraa Safari Lodge, when the previous Kenya based owners could not make a success of it. Both lodges have since become corner stones for wildlife based tourism in Uganda and the reconstruction of Chobi will add yet more attractions to the tourism industry as an upmarket fishing and forest resort.

EGYPT AIR JOINS STAR ALLIANCE
The Kampala office of Egypt Air earlier this week proudly announced that the Egyptian national airline has now formally joined Star Alliance. The airline presently flies three times a week between Entebbe and Cairo with immediate convenient onwards transfers into the network for flights to Europe and across the Middle East. Egypt Air is the second Star Alliance partner to fly into Entebbe after South African Airways, which is now flying daily between Johannesburg and Entebbe. Egypt Air expects a significant boost in passenger and cargo traffic in coming months as a result of now being an alliance partner and may in fact increase their Entebbe flights further, as they offer their European partner airlines networked connections via Cairo. It will also be of keen interest for passengers who can now earn Star Alliance mileage credits when travelling with Egypt Air, while a global network of lounges will be available for passengers’ comfort.

AFRAA EXPOSES WORST AVIATION PERFORMERS
The African Airline Association has in a recent report released their assessment of the worst performing member countries. Predictably, the Congo DR tops the list as worst performer with a staggering one quarter of all accidents and incidents in Africa taking place in this country alone. Following not far off however are Angola and the Sudan, which has gained notoriety as a result of several air crashes during the past few months. Kenya has overtaken Nigeria in the statistics however, now occupying the fourth place in the name and shame list, while Nigeria is occupying fifth spot. As is often the case, if one has to fly in these countries it is important to know which airline to use and get sound advice from aviation associations and industry observers and analysts. It should be pointed out here that Kenya’s record was largely tainted by light aircraft incidents while flying with their scheduled airlines was largely considered to be up to international standards.

ARGUMENT OVER STATISTICS
Recently released figures by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics on tourist arrivals raised prompt arguments, when the official data were put at 883,230 arrivals for the year 2007, a rise from 769,662 arrivals in the year 2006. Previous figures given however are less and questions have been asked as to the source of the data now published, in particular as details given for arrival in Entebbe seem out of line with reality and the statistics of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. There are also still open questions over the data published for previous years, when certain variations were not or poorly explained by the statisticians responsible to capture and process arrivals details from airports and land borders. In any case however, the general trend of rising arrivals are good for the country’s tourism and trade sectors and once the data have been reconfirmed, the final figures will appear in this column.

FUEL PRICES CLIMB RELENTLESSLY
The country, and the region for that matter, is bracing itself to the potential of fuel prices climbing towards the psychologically important 2,800 Uganda Shillings mark. Some fuel stations are already close to it at present but as international fuel prices keep climbing, so they do in Uganda. The impact of ever higher cost of fuels is felt across the entire economy, where prices of commodities are rising noticeably, reflecting the higher transport and production cost. There is also public speculation now as to when the cost of a litre of petrol will reach the US$2 equivalent, combined with worries over how the economy in general will be able to cope with such unprecedented price levels and inflationary trends Visitors to the country are advised to check relevant websites on exchange rates and other economic indicators to avoid unpleasant surprises.

IN MEMORIAM BILL DIXON
Bill Dixon of Bruce Safaris in Nairobi passed away a short while ago, leaving behind his grieving family and the many friends he made in his lifetime in Kenya, Eastern Africa and around the world, including this correspondent. Bill was one of a kind, and old hand in the safari business, Skalleague par excellence and of course father to Alan Dixon, who built his ‘Let’s Go Travel’ tourism empire over the past decades now spanning across Eastern Africa. Rest in peace my friend, until we meet again.

NEW FACES AT KENYA AIRWAYS
As the airline emerges from one of its most challenging periods during the post election violence in Kenya, new senior appointments have now taken place to bring in new blood following the exodus of top managerial staff late last year and early this year.

Mr. Alex Mbugua has taken charge as finance director, replacing Neil Canty whose contract had ended last month and was not renewed. Also new are Richard Nuttal, who replaced former commercial director Hugh Fraser and Bram Steller has also commenced his work as chief operating officer, a position newly created with the aim to root out operational challenges and pay strictest attention to quality control and on time performances. Negative media coverage on KQ from certain quarters have also been toned down of late, as it became apparent that the downtalking of KQ did not have the desired effect towards uptalking a certain aviation upstart associated with the shareholders of the media house in question.

NEW PLANES FOR KENYA AIRWAYS
East Africa’s premier airline is due to receive their second Embraer 170 aircraft in an all economy 72-seat configuration any time from now. The new aircraft will be used on regional routes for the off peak period flights but also serve domestic destinations, where the airline’s Boeing 737s are too large. Fuel efficiency will be the greatest bonus for KQ in view of the ever rising jet fuel cost and will further strengthen KQ’s market share and standing in the region. Once the new Embraer jet has been put into service KQ is also due to receive another three brand new Boeing 737NGs, which will make the fleet one of the youngest on the continent and add comfort for passengers and operating economics for the airline.

CHINA IVORY DECISION OUTRAGES CONSERVATIONISTS
It was just learned that China is due to receive about 100 tons of ivory from Southern African countries, which constantly agitate and advocate for a lifting of the 1989 ban on trade in elephant products. Only recently were Chinese tourists caught in Kenya, trying to take illegally obtained ivory out of the country and then defended their action through an interpreter to have been under the impression it was “white wood’. The Eastern African inspired ‘African Elephant Coalition’ has long said that any increase in trade, regardless from where, will inevitably lead to increased poaching in Eastern Africa and then smuggling the bloodstained merchandise to countries in Southern Africa, where they are “integrated” into the trade volumes or else stored until the next batch is released to countries like China and Japan. Yet, with China’s human rights record, how would one expect even a pinch of compassion for the survival fight of the African elephant and support for conservation measures introduced at high cost by the Eastern African countries.

TANZANIA DEMANDS ‘THEIR THINGS’ BACK
The Tanzanian government appears to have started talks with the German and Kenyan governments over the return of priceless skeletons and other finds, presently kept in German and Kenyan museums and institutions. Tanganyika was prior to the end of the First World War a German colony and it was reportedly in 1909 that German explorers and scientists dug up some ancient dinosaur skeletons and took them back to Germany with them for study, preservation and subsequent exhibition. In the Kenyan case talks seem to be focused on items from the digs of Olduvai, also fondly called the ‘cradle of mankind’ and Laetolia, where items were at the time taken to Kenya, also in pre-independence days.

Within days of this development the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki also joined the throng when formally opening the renovated and enlarged National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi earlier in the week. He too called on the curator and managers of the museum to ensure that artefacts taken by ‘the colonials’ are returned to Kenya. However, as the country has so far failed to ratify the UNESCO convention dealing with these aspects, there may be legal and other logistical hurdles waiting along the way to return valuable pieces of Kenya’s heritage to her own national museum.

TANZANIA PUBLISHES NEW TOURISM TARGETS
The largest of the East African countries has now announced their new targets for tourist visitors in coming years. The country aims at 1.2 million visitors by 2012 and an expenditure of about US$1.5 billion. Earnings for 2007 were reported to have been around US$930 million with just under 750,000 tourist visitors. It was also mentioned in parliament that overseas publicity and marketing campaigns were successful in the past and that more efforts will be made in conjunction with global TV channels to further promote visits to Tanzania in the next financial year and beyond. The figures were presented in parliament by the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism.

The opposition in parliament has meanwhile also once again raised the issue of the planned soda ash plant by Indian industrial group Tata at or near Lake Natron, which is being opposed by local, regional and international conservation groups.

TZ PARLIAMENTARIANS BLAST GOVERNMENT OVER TOURISM PERFORMANCE
Sections of the Tanzanian parliament took issue last week with their government’s handling of tourism, blaming them of inept planning and poor facilitation for the sector. However, demands voiced by one MP, that the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) should hold mandatory shares in resorts and lodges located inside national parks also exposed a mindset only fit for the command economies in the ’60s and ’70s which were failures on a global scale, as no overt or covert attempt to partly nationalize private investment would go down well with the global business community in this day and age. In fact it is often such outbursts from misguided agitators and politicians which impact on further investments in Africa as it exposes an underlying tenor to potential investors, which creates doubts over the security and safety of their businesses, once they have invested in a particular location. Only recently did this column report efforts to intimidate the owners of an upscale safari property in the Grumeti sector of the Serengeti, after the unannounced arrival of MPs was halted at the gate to protect the privacy of the clients staying at the lodge at the time. Such incidents, when properly reported, however also keep the overzealous politicians in check as they are faced with naming and shaming.

US SUPPORTS GORILLA CONSERVATION IN RWANDA
A conference for tourism ministers from Uganda, Rwanda and Congo at the lakeside Kivu Sun Hotel in Gisenyi / Rwanda has ended earlier in the week. The meeting, supported by the US government, was aimed at further improving conservation and wildlife protection in the trans boundary Virunga region, which spreads across the three nations. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science Ms. Claudia McMurray pledged the US government’s ongoing assistance towards maintaining biodiversity and conservation efforts for the long-term survival of the remaining mountain gorillas and other rare species. Uganda was represented at the meeting by the Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Hon. Serapio Rukundo, who made it clear that wildlife policies must ultimately benefit the population of the region to alleviate poverty in particular in rural areas by sharing proceeds. ORTPN CEO Rosette Rugamba thanked the US delegation for their faithful support, while not failing to point out that seven of the prized animals were killed in the Congo last year, clearly referring to the need of the partner states to take greater efforts in the protection of the animals.
Meanwhile, ORTPN has also confirmed that they will participate in the British Bird Fair next month, where they intend to promote birdwatching as a niche tourism activity, as their diversification drive gathers greater momentum.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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