Inshoza Ballet leaves mark on FESPAD with a blend of old and new
INSHOZA BALLET TAKES AUDIENCE BY STORM When the FESPAD, the Pan African Dance Festival, moved to the Northern Province headquarter town of Huye, expectations were to see much of similarities vis a vis previous days. A stop enroute to the festival venue at the National Museum, which is based together with the Institute of National […]
Mauritius and Maldives sign aviation agreement
MAURITIUS AND MALDIVES SIGN NEW AIR ACCORD The two Indian Ocean island states have earlier this week signed a new bilateral air services agreement, commonly referred to as BASA, allowing the national airlines of the two countries to commence up to 7 flights per week between Port Louis and Male at a later time. The […]
FESPAD 2013 goes upcountry
TAKE A BREAK – DANCE IS THE MOTTO OF FESPAD 2013 AS IT MOVES TO THE COUNTRYSIDE ‘When we hosted FESPAD before, all activities were concentrated in Kigali. This time we wanted to have the entire country have a chance to participate. The national competition is now on and we will have a winner when […]
Precision Air announced double digit passenger growth
PRECISION AIR SHRUGS OFF FASTJET ARRIVAL WITH DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH The showmanship of FastJet mouthpieces notwithstanding has Precision Air just announced a 13 percent growth in passenger numbers for the period between April 2012 and end January 2013, with a record uplift of 750.762 passengers compared to the same period in the previous year with […]
Dr. Anthony King, renowned Kenyan conservationist, dies in Mt. Kenya plane crash
KENYA CONSERVATION FRATERNITY MOURNS DR. ANTHONY KING Dr. Anthony King, former CEO of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum and more recently manager of the Ngolale Ranch in Rumuruti, died yesterday afternoon when his plane crashed on Mt. Kenya after taking off from the Nanyuki airfield earlier on. The light aircraft, an Aeroprakt A22 Foxbat, was registered […]
FESPAD 2013 finally launches
FESPAD FINALLY LAUNCHES WITH AN EYE CANDY PERFORMANCE OF DANCES The uncertainties of the weather removed, by staging the second attempt to launch FESPAD 2013 indoors at the Petit Stade of the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali, the show finally got on the road, opened by the Rwandan Minister for Culture in the presence of […]
Pre-election blues for Kenya tourism prompts some harsh but true words
TOURISM BUSINESSES FACE PRE-ELECTION BLUES AS MORE BLAME IS HEAPED ON MWAZO ‘Finally his time in tourism is coming to an end. Too much of what he did was embroiled in controversy and the things which needed doing were not done. I cannot wait for a new government to take over and appoint someone capable […]
Washout for opening ceremony of FESPAD causes rescheduling
WHEN FESPAD TURNED INTO A WETPAD The combined opinion yesterday at the Amahoro National Stadium was that ‘Someone Somewhere’ was responsible for the complete washout, in fact blowout of the opening ceremony as it was just about to start, when a hailstorm of biblical proportions unloaded its icy cargo and unleashed nature’s full wrath on […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, Fourth edition February 2013
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’ or […]
Rwanda sticks to investment plans to build a better future
RWANDA INVESTS IN FUTURE INSPITE OF DONOR STAMPEDE Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was outspoken as usual when he harshly criticized the current wave of opportunistic financial sanctions as withdrawal of committed and confirmed aid packages to Rwanda for education, health and social services hit the country’s budgeting and is currently causing some serious […]
FESPAD goes underway in Rwanda’s capital Kigali
FESPAD – THE PAN AFRICAN DANCE FESTIVAL – OPENS IN KIGALI Another week long spectacle of dance and art, performed by participants from over 40 African countries, is going underway today when President Paul Kagame opens FESPAD, the Pan African dance, song and heritage event at the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali before an expected […]
Kenya Airways set to return to B767-300 services to Delhi in June
KENYA AIRWAYS SET TO UP CAPACITY TO DEHLI AGAIN FROM JUNE Not long after reducing capacity on the Nairobi to Dehli route by the introduction of a B737-700 aircraft instead of the initially operated B767-300 aircraft, has Kenya Airways now indicated that from the 11th June onwards they will revert to the B767-300 operation, at […]
UWA mourns loss of a staff after Ishasha shooting incident
UWA MOURNS THE KILLING OF ONE OF THEIR STAFF BY ALLEGED CONGOLESE INTRUDERS The Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the country’s conservation and tourism fraternity, mourn the loss of one Angel Kobusheshe in the Ishasha or Southern Sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which borders to the Congo DR were sporadic fighting is still going […]
Kenyan elections prompt ‘stocking up’ in Uganda and beyond
STOCKING UP FUEL AND COMMODITIES AHEAD OF KENYA ELECTIONS CAUSES SHORTAGES As the elections in Kenya are drawing nearer are Ugandans, but also the people of other hinterland countries like in South Sudan, Eastern Congo, Rwanda and Burundi stocking up on essential commodities, including fuel, driving prices for petrol and diesel further up and threatening […]
Kenya Airways and Etihad sign extensive code share and partnership deal
KENYA AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES CODESHARE DEAL WITH ETIHAD Following the progressive partnership between Abu Dhabi’s national airline Etihad and European mega carrier KLM / Air France does it come as no particular surprise, other than the timing, that Etihad has now signed an extensive codeshare deal with Kenya Airways, a SkyTeam partner in which KLM holds […]
KLM announces daily flights to Entebbe
KLM ANNOUNCES DAILY FLIGHTS BETWEEN ENTEBBE AND AMSTERDAM In breaking news has KLM in Kampala just announced that they will move to daily flights on the Entebbe – Amsterdam route, effective 05th of April this year. The news come not long after British Airways announced the withdrawal of their flights to Dar es Salaam, a […]
Africa Hotel Investment Forum returns to the Nairobi InterContinental Hotel in September
AFRICA HOTEL INVESTMENT FORUM RETURNS TO THE NAIROBI INTERCONTINENTAL September 25 and 26 were given to this correspondent from a hospitality source at the InterContinental Hotel in Nairobi, when the hugely successful Africa Hotel Investment Forum will return for the second year running to Kenya’s capital Nairobi, bringing the global hospitality giants together with smaller […]
KTDC to complete sale of InterConti, Hilton and Mt. Lodge shares by June
KENYA’S SALE OF THREE HOTEL INTERESTS TO BE CONCLUDED BY JUNE A regular source close to the Kenya Tourism Development Corporation in Nairobi has confirmed that the sale of the government’s shares in the Hotel InterContinental Nairobi, the Hilton Nairobi and the Mountain Lodge will be concluded by June this year. The co-shareholders in all […]
Air Tanzania at the brink of losing their head office building
AIR TANZANIA RISKS TO LOSE HEAD OFFICE OVER DEBT CLAIMS Information has come to light that the head office building of Air Tanzania is currently being assessed as to its value following an order by the Tanzania High Court over an outstanding debt of over 1 billion Tanzania Shillings, which the airline has failed to […]
Tanzanian government attempts to hoodwink media into giving ‘greenwashed’ information about Uranium mining
TANZANIA GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PANIC OVER URANIUM MINING FEARS AND RUMOURS Fear appears to be spreading through the establishment in Dar es Salaam over the level of opposition to Uranium mining and its potentially toxic and perhaps even fatal side effects, prompting a mini offensive through a workshop last week for media representatives, meant to ‘clear […]
Of threats and the fools who make them
There are occasions when what I write and report about touches some raw nerves, I step on toes and ruffle feathers.As a result I have in the past gotten threats, some quite explicit and leaving no doubt what the respective individuals would do should they get their hands on me. Eritrean regime sycophants not happy […]
Second shooting of an Italian in Malindi in two weeks rocks Italian expatriate community
SECOND ARMED ATTACK ON ITALIAN TOURISTS RAISE ALARM LEVELS IN MALINDI Two armed attacks, using guns and machetes, on the Italian holiday community in Malindi, have raised the alarm of targeted violence against this Indian Ocean municipality’s most numerous visitors. The Italian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing their concern over the safety of their […]
Guest post by the Mombasa and Coast Tourism Association
South Coast Hotels Put On Notice by NEMA Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association has learnt that NEMA has put hotels at the South Coast on notice as majority of them operate without proper waste management facilities and end up polluting the environment through effluent discharge. Further, NEMA says it has collected evidence against the hotels […]
Desvaux sacking may lead to political fallout as PMSD executive meets today
DESVAUX SACKING MAY PROMPT POLITICAL FALLOUT The sacking of MTPA Chairman Robert Desvaux, instead of the more widely expected cleaning house starting with the CEO Karl Mootoosamy, appears to now make ripples across the PMSD party of Deputy Prime Minister Duval, since Desvaux is by many thought to be literally the right hand man of […]
Fly Dubai makes Juba its next Africa destination
FLY DUBAI SET FOR APRIL INAUGURAL TO JUBA Confirmation was received yesterday afternoon from a regular aviation source in Juba / South Sudan, that Fly Dubai, the leading LCC of the United Arab Emirates, will commence flights from 21st April this year. Initially the airline, using an exclusive fleet of B737-800 NG aircraft, will fly […]
Kenya Airways seeks extension of KLM partnership deal from competition authority in Nairobi
KENYA AIRWAYS APPLIES FOR EXTENDED IMMUNITY OVER KLM / AIR FRANCE DEAL Information was received from Nairobi that Kenya Airways has applied to the country’s competition authority for extended exemption of their partnership deals with KLM / Air France, to prevent competitors from filing complaints about elements of their joint venture agreements. The two airlines […]
Chobe Safari Lodge set to benefit from new game drive ciruits
CHOBE AREA OF MURCHISONS FALLS NATIONAL PARK GETS EXPANDED TRACK NETWORK Uganda Wildlife Authority have completed the construction of more tracks in the Chobe area of the park above the falls, giving added opportunities to see game and explore the forests nearer to the Chobe Safari Lodge. One of the two sections is approximately 10 […]
Now the Tanzanian taxman is also chasing after FastJet
FASTJET NOW TARGET OF TANZANIA’S TAXMAN TOO The bad news for FastJet just don’t seem to end as information has emerged from Dar es Salaam, that the Tanzania Revenue Authority, aka The Taxman, is now chasing down the upstart over payment of both current as well as apparent legacy debts from past operations by Fly540 […]
Yet another Chinese arrested at JKIA for possession of blood ivory
ANOTHER CHINESE BLOOD IVORY SMUGGLER NABBED AT JKIA The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport dog squad, as well as the vigilance of security personnel, are credited with the arrest of yet another Chinese citizen, who was found in Nairobi with 58 kilogrammes of blood ivory stuffed in his baggage, as he tried to check in for […]
Rwanda exceeds 2012 tourism targets
RWANDA TOURISM RAKES IN 281 MILLION US DOLLARS IN 2012 Figures just released by the Rwanda Development Board for the year 2012 show a sustained growth of tourism arrivals and revenues, when it was announced by the agency that their own projected revenues were exceeded considerably with a final bottom line of over 281 million […]
