[PHOTOS] CS Balala leads tourism partners in hiking Mt Kenya

Tourism CS Najib Balala and other stakeholders in the tourism sector hiked Mt. Kenya in a drive to raise funds for the enhancement of hiker experiences in Mount Kenya National Park.

During their first day, the CS said they used the Chogoria route.

“On Day 1: We started our hike up Mt. Kenya along the Chogoria route, at 2360M Height above mean sea level to 2530M," Balala said.

"The hike was through a thick forest with lush green trees and vegetation,” he added.

The partners were from Sahihi Builders, Mpesa, Safaricom, Visa Kenya, Vipingo Ridge, Kenya Wildlife Service and Magical Kenya.

This comes as the KWS plans to introduce the zip lines and cable cars across Mt Longonot National Park to attract more visitors.

The wildlife agency said safety and conservation concerns would be addressed.

The CS earlier addressed the press after leading a team of visitors to hike Mt Longonot, which attracts over 60,000 visitors every year.

He said the ministry was keen to make sure that the number rose, adding that in the last three months over 17,000 people had visited the park.

“There is so much untapped potential in this park and we have to use such opportunities to sell this park to more visitors so that revenue can also increase,” he said.