The Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Peninah Malonza has called on hoteliers to embrace innovation and aim to increase bed nights and tourism numbers for both domestic and international visitors in order to rebuild the sector stronger.

Malonza said rebuilding tourism requires a multifaceted approach that goes beyond refurbishing hospitality facilities.

She said hoteliers must renew their commitment to sustainability, innovation, and the well-being of their visitors.

“We must invest in refurbishing our establishments to maintain and refresh our unmatched national brand. We must also upgrade facilities, expand connectivity, provide affordable transport and accommodation,” said Malonza.

Malonza was speaking in Mombasa Friday afternoon after officially opening the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers annual symposium.

She emphasized on the need for players in the tourism sector to introduce new and exciting products that enhance the overall visitor experience and position Kenya as a premier destination.

Malonza said that the efforts must go beyond bricks and mortar adding that players must also embrace sustainability as a core principle.

“Protecting and preserving our wildlife, cultural heritage, and diverse ecosystems should be our responsibility as a sector. Let us promote responsible travel, eco-tourism, and environmental protection to create lasting experiences for our visitors,” Malonza said.

Innovation, she said, is the key to unlocking the potential of the tourism industry in a rapidly changing world.

She urged hoteliers to adapt to the evolving needs and preferences of travelers, harnessing technology and creativity to enhance their experiences.

By incorporating eco-friendly initiatives and supporting local businesses, she said the industry can offer authentic and meaningful experiences that resonate with the values of modern travelers.

“There is also need to build capacity and train our staff to enable them be at par with current global tourism trends. By investing in our workforce and empowering them with knowledge and skills, we increase Kenya’s competitive advantage as a tourism destination,” she said.

She added that continuous training, mentorship programs, and initiatives that promote entrepreneurship will elevate our tourism professionals and ensure they stay in tune with global trends.

She reiterated the need to embracing innovation as a driving force for change, recognizing that the potential of the tourism industry is limitless.

The CS further asked the hoteliers to be prepared to deal with thorny issues that affect tourism like the case of beach boys.

“I believe we can organize them and then offer them training that will make them independent and they will be able to earn a decent livelihood. This will be a win -win situation for everyone in this crucial sector,” she said.

In a vibrant celebration of Africa's rich culinary heritage and its commitment to sustainable farming practices, Sarova Panafric, one of East Africa's premier hotels, is hosting a grand event to mark the International Year of Millets.

The special occasion that kicked off on June 17, 2023, at their iconic Flame Tree Restaurant, is paying homage to the versatile and nutritious millet grain, which has been a staple in African diets for thousands of years.

“These ancient grains are delicious and rich in nutrients, making them a sustainable choice for a healthier future. We encourage all our customers, within and without the country, to make their way here and have a lifetime experience,” said Sarova Panafric in a statement.

As guests enter the beautifully decorated restaurant, the air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of traditional African dishes.

The vibrant colors and flavors of the carefully crafted millet-based delicacies hinted at a culinary journey that would captivate the senses.

At the heart of this occasion is a commitment to promoting the use of millets in modern cuisine, highlighting their nutritional value and ecological benefits.

The International Year of Millets is aimed to raise awareness about these ancient grains, emphasizing their significance in achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

“At Sarova Panafric, we never abandon our African roots. Our offerings are deeply anchored on them and this is what we offer our customers. We are always striving to give our guests our best,” said the iconic restaurant.

The carefully selected ingredients, sourced from local farmers, highlighted Sarova Panafric's commitment to supporting sustainable agricultural practices and empowering local communities as well as businesses.

The one-week-long event is expected to come to an end on June 23, 2023 with the facility hoping to have driven the point home of how important this African grain is.

ACTOM, a market-leading supplier of electrical equipment and services, will take over a low-voltage product manufacturing facility in Kenya from existing technology partner Schneider Electric a move that will facilitate ACTOM’s industrial expansion into East Africa.

ACTOM CEO, Mervyn Naidoo, explains that the company is planning to establish industrial hubs in East, West, and eventually even North Africa that will provide a platform for the broader ACTOM portfolio of products and services in these regions.

Its takeover of the Kenyan manufacturing facility will provide the company with an entry point into East Africa, where it plans to target the Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia markets.

Naidoo says ACTOM has an extensive range of Intellectual Property (IP) in low-, medium-, and high-voltage products. These span a wide spectrum of transmission and distribution products, as well as power generation and associated products.

“We intend to use the industrial platform in Kenya to enter the East African market with our products and services. We want to expand to Kenya, where we will transfer IP and, where economically feasible, set up manufacturing and establish our repair business there,” says Naidoo.

Adding “This will be a platform for the broader ACTOM group to not only enter the East African market but also to embrace East African economies where we will employ people and use our IP to get actively involved, thus also growing both ACTOM South Africa and ACTOM Kenya.”

He notes that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents numerous opportunities for intercontinental trade, especially within the economies of countries like Kenya and Tanzania, which are growing at 4%-plus annually.

“Based on this, we expect that there will be significant demand for our products. As such, we plan to transfer our full scope of products and services into the African markets. Our offerings will be linked to demand, with demand in the region driving the prioritisation of what goes into the market first,” says Naidoo.

ACTOM celebrates its 120th anniversary this year and currently manufactures products that range from boilers to control equipment, uninterrupted power supplies, LED lighting, solar heating systems, transformers, switchgear, and turnkey EPC solutions.

The company also provides full aftermarket repair and service solutions to its customers.

Speaking on the partnership, Carol Koech, Country President at Schneider Electric in Kenya says that the move to transfer the manufacturing and assembly plant in Kenya to ACTOM allows Schneider Electric to focus on positioning the company with key technology partners, as it continues to strengthen its strategic ambition to prioritise its digital offerings, software, and services to in turn enhance its service offering to its customers.

“The move allows Schneider Electric to focus on expanding its reach in Eastern Africa, commercialising more offers, and growing its partner network to serve its customers with more technology and competitive value,” says Carol.

The Government has urged the international community, donor groups and development partners to commit higher purchases of relief food for refugees to local farmers.

Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi has challenged the international community to increase relief food off take from Kenyan farmers saying the need for integration is important in supporting host communities.

He regretted that Kenyan farmers have been neglected while supporting the refugees and are struggling to sell their produce.

“One of the biggest debates we have had in Kenya for quite sometime is that when supporting the refugees, the Kenyan farmer has been neglected. We sometimes always grapple about the price of maize, wheat and what it takes,” said Mudavadi, during a forum to mark World Refugee Day, held in a Nairobi hotel.

According to Mudavadi, one of the pleas Government has always made is that within the package of providing relief food for either refugees or the needy groups, the international community should also embrace and commit higher purchases from the local farmers to feed these communities.

“It is sometimes tragic when we see that the farmer in Kenya is struggling to sell his/her maize but we are steadily importing all the grain to feed these refugee camps from elsewhere so the support goes to another farmer but it does not come to the host farmer,” regretted Mudavadi.

He added: “…So within the framework of your reorganization, I pitch for the Kenyan farmer so that when you are supplying that relief support please think of how you can increase the off take from the Kenyan farmer.”

Currently, Kenya is the 13th largest refugee hosting nation in the world and fifth in Africa.

According to Mudavadi, some 612, 413 registered refugees and asylum seekers are hosted in Kenya, out of which, 84 per cent are resident in the camps while the balance is in urban areas.

Somali, South Sudan and the DRC are the top three sources of Kenya’s refugee population with 56 per cent, 30 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

There are also 94,417 refugees mainly in our major towns of Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Eldoret among others.

He said Kenya is managing refugees through encampment policy where refugees reside in two camps namely Kakuma and Dadaab.

The PCS however stated that the care and maintenance approach has not supported effective leverage of the social-economic potential of the refugees.

He said it has not purposed to tap into the refugees’ enormous potential to support the growth of host regions and the management of adverse environmental impact of the refugees’ presence.

“The administration is fully aware of the need to give full focus and attention to sustainable refugee management. Soon, the regulations to operationalize the Refugee Act 2021 will be tabled in Parliament for necessary approval and enactment,” Mudavadi said.

He affirmed that the Government is keen to create an enabling environment that supports socio-economic inclusion of refugees and the collective efforts to build the resilience of host communities.

Last year, he said the Government re-gazetted the Ifo2 and Kambios Camps and registration of members of the Somali Community has commenced.

Similarly, he said Kenya has reopened its border Somalia and established three border points to serve not only as entry points, business, trade and tourism interests but also genuine asylum seekers.

“It is important to recognise the global shift in refugee management. Host countries are increasingly turning into settlements for refugees. This approach has two aims: to reduce reliance on humanitarian help from host governments and other humanitarian agencies, and to make refugees self-reliant and important players in the growth of host countries’ economy,” he stated.  

Mudavadi said Kenya cannot be an exception to this trend, even as he reiterated the Government’s to transform refugee camps into integrated settlements.

“By promoting the socio-economic inclusion of refugees, we are collectively preparing them for the eventual voluntary repatriation to their home countries,” he affirmed.

To anchor this shift, the government developed a Marshal Plan “Shirika Plan” last year to provide relevant policy and implementation roadmap.  

According to Mudavadi, the Plan will ensure that host communities in Turkana and Garissa benefit from additional development support.

It will also promote peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities and save host centres from turning into ghost towns when refugees eventually leave.

He cited Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-economic Development Plan in Turkana and the Garissa Integrated Socio-economic Development Plan as examples of social-economic inclusion of refugees.

He urged the international community and private sector to increase financial and technical support to promote the socio-economic inclusion of refugees.

“The policy commitments the Government is making will only yield desired results with your enhanced support. Building the necessary self-reliance and resilience for refugees and host communities obliges us to dedicate more financial and material investments that the government, alone, cannot meet,” he stated.

As a conducive environment for refugees is created in Kenya country, he said other viable solutions should also be explored.

He emphasized on ensuring peace and stability in refugees’ countries of origin as integral to a realistic quest for refugees’ settlement.

Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir officially launched the program on Saturday morning at the Coast General Hospital (CGTRH) where he assured Mombasa residents that the program will be initiated via free  medical camps throughout all the 30 wards.

The camps kicked off today in Mvita constituency's CGTRH, Kadarbouy Dispensary, Mvita clinic, Railways Mazagazaga and Tudor sub county hospital respectively. 

The governor is set to continue with the second phase of the project tomorrow in Likoni constituency.

"I promised to bring all the families in Mombasa County under the cover of NHIF so we could bring an end to financial crises that are caused by illness affecting our loved ones. This NHIF super cover will enable you and your dependents to access medical care free of charge in your public health facilities." said Nassir.

Adding "These camps will cover basic illnesses to complicated diseases and for those not treatable in the camps, they will be attended to in our hospitals all for free. Our plan will benefit up to 100,000 individuals spread equally across the county.

Nassir called on the residents to to turn out in numbers for the camps.

Chewani ward member of County Assembly Hamisi Iddi died in a grisly road accident in Kanagoni area on the Garsen-Malindi highway on Saturday morning.

Until his untimely death, the legislator was the minority leader in the county Assembly of Tana-River.

According to police reports, the MCA died on the spot.

"The Party and the People of Chewani ward have lost a focused and dedicated leader who put the interests of his people first." reads a statement from UDA party.

Adding " During this moment of grief, we pray for the soul of the departed, his family, and the people of Chewani ward.

Idd was a first-term county elected MCA under a UDA party ticket.

Before his election, he served as a bodyguard for the governor of Tana River.