Kitui, KWS sign MOU to unlock untapped tourism potential

Governor Julius Malombe and the Kenya Wildlife Service director general Erastus Kanga on Friday signed a collaboration deal that will, among other things, see enhanced revenue returns through tourism and employment opportunities for the youth.

The deal leads to the populating of local game reserves with wildlife and enhanced policing to attract tourists.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua under whose purview KWS falls witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding at the Kitui county headquarters on Friday.

The CS said the deal spelled out a new positive dawn for tourism in Kitui.

Mutua said the time for the fulfilment of the dream was nigh while responding Malombe's request for support.

The governor said the journey to harness the county's untapped tourism potential started in years between 2013 and 2017.

Malombe pointed out the need to make Kitui part of the region's tourism circuit so that residents could benefit from its numerous attraction sites. 

"We have Tsavo East [National] Park. We [have] South Kitui game reserve. We have a reptile park at Mutomo. We have Nzambani rock. We also have unique and rare birds in Mutitu and Mutomo which can attract tourists," he said. 

He also cited Ikoo valley and Kanyonyoo-Mwakini conservancy, where there are giraffes and other animals, as well as Mwingi Game Reserve and Kora National Park.

Malombe said such sites would form a tourist circuit that would connect the coastal sandy beaches to Meru and Samburu national parks, Mt Kenya tourism sites and the rest of the country.

Mutua said his visit to Kitui was driven by the need for local youth to get jobs and uplift the residents’ standards of living through tourism. 

"We all know that there is money in tourism. It is a low hanging fruit. There are many globe-trotting tourists; why not make them come to Kitui and Kenya in their numbers." 

He said that the Lower Eastern region tourism circuit would be vigorously marketed abroad so that tourists would leave places like Brazil or China destined to come visit Kitui, Makueni and Machakos counties. 

“When tourists come in their numbers they will leave behind money, create jobs for the youth and boost the local economy," the CS said. 

Mutua said that Kitui could be integral in marketing the area as a tourist destination by being allocated an exhibition kiosk abroad. 

“Attendants will be able to know about Kitui, Machakos and Makueni,” he said. 

He further said following the signing of the MOU, KWS will set up a Rhino sanctuary in the South Kitui National Reserve as a boost to make tourists to visit to watch the animals. He said without wildlife the area would not attract tourists.

The said ultimately and with time the South Kitui national reserve would be in the league of world renowned Masai Mara National Reserve.

He further said KWS would give top skills and proper training to Kitui county government rangers on the protection of wildlife and securing of game reserves to keep off invaders and poachers away.

"We are going to train your rangers to be in supper class just like our own rangers at the KWS," pledged the CS.

The CS hailed Malombe's administration for the initiative to set up modern police stations in areas around gave reserves in Kitui saying that will go a long way in boosting security.

Mutua cited the possibility of extraction snake venom for export from the Mutomo reptile park in Kitui South subcounty.

The venom, he said, would be used to make an anti-dote for snake bites to ensure no one dies of an attack.

He said Mwingi Game Reserve, which borders Kora National Park, would have a 143km fence to enhance security. The project will be done in two phases.

The CS said to in order to minimise human-wildlife conflicts, his ministry will construct five water pans in the areas surrounding game reserves to bring access of the commodity closer to the people.

He called on Kitui residents to create conservancies so that they could benefit from sale of carbon credits. He said women in Samburu were already benefitting from such a programme.