• Revelation made at Lake Naivasha Resort when the Fund held a joint meeting with the unit, where they agreed to work together.
• For many years, the unit has been relying on allocations from the national police service thereby hindering their service to the industry.
Image: FILE
The Tourism Police Unit has been hit by an acute shortage of officers, adversely affecting its operations as the number of international visitors continues to rise.
As a result, the Tourism Fund has called on the National Police Service to urgently address the situation in the wake of terror attacks in parts of the world.
This emerged at Lake Naivasha Resort when the Fund held a joint meeting with the unit, where they agreed to work together.
Fund CEO Joseph Cherutoi said the agreement will see them fund some of the activities done by TPU across the country.
Cherutoi said for many years, the unit has been relying on allocations from the national police service thereby hindering their service to the industry.
He said the law allowed the Tourism Fund to help agencies involved in the line of service in the sector noting that they will collaborate and ensure tourists visiting Kenya are safe.
“This is a new beginning and the agreement means that we will henceforth support the activities of the unit so that they can broaden their mandate to the rest of the country,” he said.
Cherutoi said with the latest initiative, the officers will now help in covering areas that couldn’t be accessed as well as providing security all over tourist destination sites.
“We have had challenges in visiting areas with villas in far flung regions but with this new cooperation we are sure to boost our revenue base,” he said.
Cherutoi, at the same time, said they were determined to help build the unit into a formidable one able to respond to the modern day challenges, key among them terror attacks.
He said officers in the unit will undergo periodic special trainings that will help deal with issues affecting the industry on time and when called upon.
“We will also train Kenyans in tourisms site zones and the need for protection of our heritage so that those visiting the country can feel safe,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by the unit’s deputy commander Mannaseh Musyoka, who said they were discussing the issue of staffing with their superiors in Nairobi.
“We have had discussions with our bosses in Nairobi and what I can tell you is that the issue is being handled and will soon be solved,” he said.