Kenya news update – Financing pact for ‘Southern Bypass’ signed between Kenya and China
NAIROBIS SOUTHERN BYPASS FINANCING SECURED, PROJECT READY TO GO The Peoples Republic of China has yesterday signed the financing deal with the Kenyan government to begin the process of constructing a southern bypass around the city, which will run nearly 30 kilometres from the citys outskirts along Mombasa Road, giving through traffic to the Rift […]
Kenya aviation news – KAA CEO faces ‘contempt of court’ charges over destruction of homes
KAA BOSS FACES CONTEMPT OF COURT CHARGES Institutional arrogance and contempt for the people whose lives dreams he helped destroy two weeks ago when demolition teams wrecked hundreds of homes worth hundreds of millions of Kenya Shillings, are likely to claim the first victim, as the Managing Director of the Kenya Airports Authority by some […]
The Somalia conflict – Al Shabab, a killer of people but also a killer of the environment
AL SHABAB, KILLERS OF PEOPLE AND KILLERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT When Kenyan troops entered Somalia in hot pursuit of Al Shabab operatives, who had staged several abductions of foreign nationals from Kenyan territory and constantly engaged in cross border raids into refugee camps or against Kenyan military and security outposts, they found moon-like landscapes, bare […]
East African Community Summit expected to turn down Khartoum’s membership application
KHARTOUM TO BE KEPT OUT OF EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY The spat earlier this week between the regime in Khartoum and the government in Nairobi, which blew up when the High Court in Nairobi issued instructions for an arrest warrant against North Sudans regime leader, wanted by the International Criminal Court, alongside several of his henchmen, […]
Uganda aviation breaking news – JET A 1 fuel runs out again at Entebbe
ENTEBBE RUNS OUT OF JET A1 FUEL, AGAIN In another stunning development has Entebbe International Airport once again run out of jet fuel, causing airlines to implement emergency planning measures to find fuel enroute to or from Uganda. Tomorrows South African Airways flight has already been scheduled to fly home to Johannesburg via Nairobi, to […]
Seychelles aviation news update – Helicopter Seychelles, back in the skies and there to stay
HELICOPTER SEYCHELLES RETURN WAS MUCH NEEDED The recent return to the skies over the Seychelles archipelago by Helicopter Seychelles has according to the companys CEO Capt. Shaun Tinkler-Rose already made a difference through medical evacuation flights at night, which the airlines Agusta helicopter is capable of performing. In a communication received through a regular source […]
Seychelles tourism news – Abu Dhabi embassy launch and inaugural Etihad flight to Mahe make front page news
ABU DHABIS THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS SEYCHELLES The start of flights between Abu Dhabi and the Seychelles by national airline Etihad, combined with the official opening of a new embassy by the archipelago for the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, a few days ago prompted one of the Gulfs leading newspapers to publish an […]
Kenya tourism and conservation news – Cheli & Peacock bag 4 Eco Tourism Kenya Awards
CHELI AND PEACOCK BAG FOUR ECO TOURISM AWARDS One of Kenyas foremost safari companies, Cheli and Peacock, has last weekend taken the Eco Tourism Kenya annual awards by storm, claiming four prizes for outstanding services. Besides being named Tour Operator of the Year 2011 the company Elsas Kopje lodge was also acclaimed Best small lodge […]
Mauritius tourism news – Government intent to divest of various tourism related assets
MAURITIUS GOVERNMENT DIVESTS SOME TOURISM ASSETS It was learned over the weekend that the Mauritius government intends to divest from some tourism related interest in order to bring in cash for other purposes. Divestments will include offloading interests in casinos, the Belle Mare Tourist Village, the Lake Point Complex and the Port Louis Waterfront developments. […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Fifth edition November 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or read the daily postings on my blog via: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Many of these articles then also […]
Tanzania tourism breaking news – Massive landslide cuts off key safari route
MASSIVE LANDSLIDES BLOCK KEY SAFARI ROUTE It was learned yesterday that a massive landslide cut off the main route between the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha at Mto Wa Mbu, the escarpment where the Lake Manyara National Park is located. Torrential rains, which currently lash parts of Eastern Africa, caused a major rock […]
South Sudan aviation news – Southern Star halts operations?
SOUTHERN STAR HALTS OPERATIONS Only a few weeks ago was information confirmed that South Sudans first post independence airline, Southern Star, commenced flight operations, with big fanfare and big dreams. Following two months of erratic operations though, has Southern Star already halted operations and ALS, the company in Nairobi they had leased their single aircraft […]
East African Community Summit – Problems ahead dampen hope for success
SPATS AHEAD OF EAC SUMMIT IN BUJUMBURA Old and new rifts emerged in the meetings preparing for the council of ministers and the head of state summit later this week in Bujumbura, when news emerged from there that new battle lines were being drawn up. The application by the Bashir regime in Khartoum, to join […]
Seychelles aviation breaking news – Italy’s Blue Panorama seeks traffic rights
BLUE PANORAMA OF ITALY SEEKS TO STEP INTO VOID LEFT BY AIR SEYCHELLES The Vice President Sales for Italys Blue Panorama airline was in Mahe at the end of last week to discuss the upcoming gap in seats and flights between Italys main cities of Rome and Milan to the Seychelles, following the announcement of […]
Kenya tourism news – Lamu Cultural Festival ‘a total success’
LAMU FESTIVAL A SUCCESS AND FREE OF ANY SCARES OR INCIDENTS The annual Lamu Cultural Festival came to a close yesterday with every available bed booked up by locals, said to comprise over 75 percent of the hotel bookings but also by overseas tourists, who had defied the blanket anti travel advisories and flown, boated […]
Uganda aviation news – Just over a week to go until Gulf Air returns to Uganda
GULF AIR GEARS UP TO ENTEBBE LAUNCH (Soon in the skies over Uganda, a Gulf Air A320) Just over a week away from the launch of its return to Uganda has the Gulf Air team now gotten into gear and is working the market with launch fares. While travel to the GCC region, mainly thought […]
Kenya conservation news – 87 more tusks found in container destined for China
VIGILANT OFFICIALS SEIZE 87 ELEPHANT TUSKS A Hong Kong bound container with 87 elephant tusks was seized over the weekend in Nairobi, when alert customs and security officials opened the container for a physical spot check, after various inconsistencies rang the alarm bells and raised suspicion of illicit contraband being hidden amongst the consignment of […]
Seychelles tourism update – New arrival record established with 6 weeks to go till the end of 2011
NEW ARRIVAL RECORD REACHED WITH NEARLY 6 WEEKS TO GO TILL YEAR END 174.530 and counting was the message from Mahe last week, when the archipelagos previous arrival record, established in 2010, was broken with weeks to go still until the end of the year. Notably did the record breaker arrive on the latest airline […]
Rwanda tourism breaking news – New Congo Nile Trail is officially launched in Gisenyi today
RWANDAS NEW CONGO NILE TRAIL HIKING THROUGH RURAL AFRICA (The starting point of the Congo Nile Trail just outside Bralirwa Bay / Gisenyi) Before I set out to conquer the new Congo Nile Trail, at least in part from Kibuye to Gisenyi, during a trial trip with a group of other media representatives, questions were […]
Seychelles aviation news – Will Air Astral take over flights from France via Mahe?
AIR ASTRAL MAY STEP INTO AIR SEYCHELLES PARIS ROUTE There is growing speculation that Air Astral, with a home base on the island of La Reunion, may in due course step into the vacant space left by the announcement of Air Seychelles, that they will progressively drop their European routes from early next year. Air […]
Seychelles aviation news – Restructuring and downsizing of Air Seychelles gains momentum
AIR SEYCHELLES RESTRUCTURING GATHERS PACE A task force has been established at the head office of Air Seychelles in Mahe, having to deal with the downside of the current major restructuring, which will see the airline drop all intercontinental destinations and downsize itself to a regional airline, serving existing and very likely new destinations on […]
Ethiopia aviation news – ET gets first B737-800 Sky Interior
ETHIOPIAN NOW ALSO FLIES THE LATEST BOEING SKY INTERIOR Ethiopian Airlines earlier this week also took delivery of the first of 10 ordered B737-800 Sky Interior, of which RwandAir already fly two, having beaten the African aviation giant to the door to claim the honours of being the first African airline to do so. However, […]
Tanzania aviation news – Former ATCL chiefs in court on criminal charges
FORMER ATCL CHIEF IN COURT AS SUCCESSOR TALKS BIG The former Air Tanzania CEO has ended up in court yesterday with two erstwhile colleagues, charged with abuse of office over an alleged 1.4 billion Tanzania Shillings procurement deal of vehicles. The cause of the charges dates back to 2007, when Air Tanzania, allegedly in violation […]
Mauritius aviation news – International airport rated as number one in Africa, 31 in the world
SIR SEEWOOSAGUR RAMGOOLAN INTERNATIONAL NAMED AS AFRICAS BEST Mauritius had reason to celebrate a world number one position this week when it became known that the international airport survey carried out by the Airport Council International, ranked SSRI as Africas best, ahead of more likely rivals on the continent. Globally the airport is ranked as […]
Rwanda conservation news – National tree planting campaign unfolds across the country
NATIONAL TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN STARTS Last weekend saw the start of the national tree planting campaign as this year targets in particular parts of the country with less trees than is average in the country. Rwanda presently has 22 percent of its territory under forest cover, a figure due to increase to 30 percent by […]
Tanzania aviation updates – ATCL has big plans but no fleet to recapture market share
AIR TANZANIA PLANS BOMBARDIER PURCHASES Within hours of the announcement that Precision Airs IPO had attracted less than 43 percent of a share take up, did Air Tanzania make waves with an announcement that they would hold more talks with Canadian manufacturer Bombardier for the purchase of up to 8 aircraft. Presently ATCL operates a […]
Tanzania aviation news – Precision Air IPO all but flops, largely undersubscribed
PRECISION AIR IPO ALL BUT FLOPS The signs were ominous from day one of the airlines IPO when several banks had to postpone the launch over lack of relevant documents and an ill timed announcement by the Tanzanian government about a planned revival of Air Tanzania did not help much either as it rattled investor […]
Tanzania aviation news – JRO to get long overdue facelift and expansion
KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL NEXT IN LINE FOR UPGRADE TOO Information has been coming in fast and furious in recent weeks, with news chasing news of yet another major international gateway, and even secondary airports being upgraded, expanded and renovated to finally give aviation the state of the art facilities air operators have been demanding in past […]
Seychelles tourism news – STB shows flag at Nairobi’s Getaway Fair
SEYCHELLES AT NAIROBI GETAWAY FAIR The Seychelles Tourism Boards appearance at the recently concluded Getaway Fair in Nairobi was once again termed an overwhelming success, as the archipelagos stand attracted the attention of both the tourism trade, seeking to forge ties with the islands to do business together, but also of course of individuals coming […]
Seychelles tourism news – STA sends 13 students to the Shannon College for their degree course
SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMYS EFFORTS PAY OFF The long standing partnership between the Seychelles Tourism Academy and the Shannon College of Hotel Management has now allowed a further 13 Seychellois graduates from the home made Advances Diploma in Hotel Management to move to Ireland to complete a Bachelor Degree programme and push their skills and capabilities […]