Chameleon Hill Lodge – Uganda’s latest architectural fashion statement
CHAMELEON HILL – A LODGE OR AN ARCHITECTURAL FASHION STATEMENT (Posted 23rd August 2013) When rounding the last corner and getting my first glimpse of the Chameleon Hill Lodge, I must have made a sight to behold, mouth wide open, staring in disbelief, training the binoculars on the lodge, or was it a fantasy castle, […]
Sheraton Kampala to host ‘Chimpanzee Gala Fundraiser’
SHERATON SUPPORTS NGAMBA ISLAND FUNDRAISER (Posted 23rd August 2013) When on the evening of the 31st of August Uganda’s corporate and society who is who will congregate at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel for a fundraiser in favour of Ngamba Island, Uganda’s sole chimpanzee sanctuary island on Lake Victoria, one organization will already have put their […]
Narok County step up to reign in bad driving habits in Masai Mara Game Reserve
NAROK COUNTY REACTS TO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT BAD DRIVING IN THE MASAI MARA (Posted 22nd August 2013) The present migration season in the Masai Mara, which has seen a daily influx of hundreds of vehicles into the Game Reserve, has also brought an increasing number of complaints about rough manners by drivers, attempting to push […]
Kenya Airways shifts international flights back to Unit 2
KENYA AIRWAYS MOVES INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS BACK TO UNIT 2 (Posted 22nd August 2013) Kenya Airways has just confirmed that they have started to move their international departures back to Unit 2, which has been made operational again following a devastating fire two weeks ago. The airline has issued a statement also informing passengers of slight […]
12 percent of Tanzania’s FastJet staff face loss of their jobs in cost cutting measure
FASTJET’S BOARDROOM AND SHAREHOLDER WOES NOW HIT TANZANIA STAFF (Posted 22nd August 2013) A range of woes, as previously reported here, and incidentally backed up by other media like Air Transport World in their own investigative articles, in the boardroom and among shareholders now seems to have reached the airlines’ Tanzanian employees. Several, according to […]
Serengeti Highway case resumed before the EACJ in Arusha
TANAPA AND SENAPA STAFF CALLED ‘PARROTS’ BY HIGHWAY OPPONENTS (Posted 22nd August 2013) When the East African Court of Justice resumed its hearings earlier this week, one of the first cases to be heard was the suit against the Tanzanian government by environmentalists and conservationists to permanently halt the construction of a highway through the […]
Watamu’s Medina Palms add more appeal to the coastal region
MEDINA PALMS OPENS IN WATAMU AS MORE POSH CONDO COMPLEXES ARE PLANNED (Posted 22nd August 2013) From Mombasa’s English Point to Briatore’s Billionaire’s Resort in Malindi, posh condominium, villa and residence complexes are now springing up along the coast, and Watamu’s Medina Palms is only the latest in a string of such developments. The newly […]
Lake Kivu ‘Barge Party’ to take place this weekend at Primus Port in Kibuye
KIBUYE’S PRIMUS PORT SET TO HOST LAKE KIVU’S FIRST BARGE PARTY (Posted 22nd August 2013) ‘We are doing such festivals and location specific activities to promote domestic tourism to the less visited sites in Rwanda and taking this boat party to Kibuye will encourage others to come up with their own ideas’ said a regular […]
Seychelles’ delegation heads to UNWTO Assembly in Livingstone / Victoria Falls
SEYCHELLES DELEGATION LEAVES FOR UNWTO ASSEMBLY (Posted 22nd August 2013) The Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St. Ange, is leading his delegation to the upcoming General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization, where he will deliver a key note address, besides standing for election to the UNWTO Executive Committee. St. Ange is […]
Rift Valley Railways set for major rebranding exercise
RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS SET FOR MAJOR REBRANDING (Posted 22nd August 2013) Rift Valley Railways, for long an embattled corporate entity, largely as a result of shareholder wrangles which went from the boardroom into the media arena courtesy of South African shareholder Sheltam – since then thankfully long gone back to obscurity – is set to […]
Lake Mutanda comes of age
LAKE MUTANDA FINALLY COMES OF AGE (Posted 22nd August 2013) (A view of Lake Mutanda, its islands and the distant Virunga volcanoes from the Chameleon Hill Lodge) Lake Mutanda, and the nearby Lake Mulehe, have for long captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike, but have never quite made it to the top of […]
Seychelles Tourism set to launch new magazine
SEYCHELLES’ AFICIONADOS LOOK FORWARD TO SESEL SA! (Posted 21st August 2013) A new tourism magazine, Sesel Sa! – the Voice of Seychelles Tourism, will soon be launched it was learned from regular sources on the main island of Mahe. The new promotional magazine will be produced by Paradise Promotions which is also behind the popular […]
Adamson anniversary again draws crowds to Meru and Kora
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE EARMARKS THREE DAYS FOR ADAMSON COMMEMORATION (Posted 21st August 2013) Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of the death of George Adamson, whose work with lions – alongside his wife Joy Adamson – made the couple ‘immortal’ in the world of conservation. For several years now have friends of George, and friends of […]
Dar es Salaam’s loss of historical buildings decried
DAR ES SALAAM RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER LOSS OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS (Posted 20th August 2013) A regular source from Tanzania’s commercial capital of Dar es Salaam has just forwarded an article in yesterday’s The Citizen newspaper, which decries the loss of historical buildings at a rate, which, if not halted, could destroy this Indian Ocean […]
La Digue Feast of Assumption draws record crowds
LA DIGUE FESTIVAL BROUGHT THOUSANDS TO THE ISLAND (Posted 20th August 2013) The Seychelles’ most important religious festival, the La Digue Island Feast of Assumption once again presented itself as a crowd puller last week, when thousands of Seychellois but notably also foreign tourists flocked to the archipelago’s third largest island to witness and participate […]
Zanzibar records almost 10 percent drop in service receipts for the last financial year
ZANZIBAR TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS BEMOAN DROP IN REVENUES (Posted 20th August 2013) News of a significant drop in revenues from tourism, reportedly now standing at some 150 billion Tanzania Shillings versus 165 billion Tanzania Shillings for the previous year, have raised added concerns among tourism stakeholders on the spice island. The figures were just released by […]
Qatar Airways ups Nairobi flights
QATAR AIRWAYS UPS NAIROBI FLIGHTS (Posted 20th August 2013) Information was confirmed by Qatar Airways that effective immediately, the airline will increase their double daily flights to now 18 per week, following a sharp rise in demand. The added flights will operate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, leaving out only Monday, Wednesday and Thursday […]
Narok County now demands bank drafts for payment of Mara gate fees
NAROK TURNS TO KATO AFTER MARA TICKET SALES LOGISTICS CONTINUE TO DOG THEM (Posted 20th August 2013) The termination a few weeks ago of the revenue collection deal between Narok County and Equity Bank, still a matter of a bitter legal dispute between the two parties, exposed the soft underbelly of administering the Masai Mara […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition August 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 news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’. Read […]
Kenya Civil Aviation disallows ET cargo flights between Nairobi and Johannesburg
KENYA CAA REJECTS ETHIOPIAN’S APPLICATION TO FLY CARGO TO JOHANNESBURG (Posted 18th August 2013) Information from Nairobi has confirmed that Ethiopian Airlines’ application to operate cargo flights between Nairobi and Johannesburg, has been turned down by the Kenyan authorities, although another route, from Nairobi via Addis Ababa to Liege in Belgium, has been granted to […]
A hiking trip in Uganda’s South West – Impressions of a frequent traveler
NKURINGO RISING (Posted 17th August 2013) (Picture of Bwindi, as seen from the Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, courtesy of Robert Brierley / Nkuringo Gorilla Camp) ‘I was never so happy to see a Boda Boda’ … I am sure that got you sit up and take notice, probably thinking ‘Wolfgang, the venerable Prof on a boda […]
Egypt Air transit system in Cairo intact says transport ministry spokesperson
EGYPTAIR MOVES TO REASSURE PASSENGERS (Posted 18th August 2013) Egypt Air, the national airline of this troubled North African country, has reassured the market that their flights are operating normally and that operations in Cairo, their hub and main transit point for many passengers from the rest of Africa enroute to their final destination, are […]
Addis airport security finds and defuses explosive device
EXPLOSIVE DEVICE DEFUSED AT ADDIS ABABA’S BOLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (Posted 17th August 2013) Ethiopian security operatives are credited with preventing a potential explosion at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport, when they on Friday detected and then successfully defused what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the departure terminal. The operation, during which the […]
Congo Crimean virus found in Northern Uganda
ANOTHER OUTBREAK HITS UGANDA (Posted 17th August 2013) Government sources yesterday late afternoon confirmed the presence of at least one confirmed case of the Congo Crimean virus, which causes a lesser kind of hemorrhagic fever, not as deadly as Ebola or Marburg in the recent past but a contagious disease nevertheless. The alpha patient has […]
KAA’s Gichuki gets the sack
KAA’S GICHUKI FINALLY SACKED (Posted `17th August 2013) In a long overdue move was the CEO of the Kenya Airport Authority, Stephen Gichuki, finally sacked, following the disastrous fire two weeks ago at Kenya’s main international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International. While in any such circumstances CEO’s would very likely offer their resignation, a civilized way […]
RwandAir and Air Uganda sign code share agreement
RWANDAIR AND AIR UGANDA SIGN CODE SHARE AGREEMENT (Posted 17th August 2013) Earlier this week did RwandAir and Air Uganda put pen to paper, signing a code share deal which will bring the number of departures between Kigali and Entebbe to 24 a week for each airline, up from the previously operated 17 and 7 […]
Inter Island Ferry adds new three deck catamaran to fleet
NEW FERRY ADDS CAPACITY TO MAHE – PRASLIN ROUTE (Posted 13th August 2013) A brand new catamaran ferry will be joining the fleet of Cat Cocos to add much needed capacity for the growing number of locals and tourists going by sea from the main island of Mahe to Praslin. An overall capacity […]
SKAL Kenya sets date for coast retreat weekend
SKAL IS HEADING TO DIANI BEACH’S CHUI FOR REGIONAL GET TOGETHER (Posted 13th August 2013) The two Kenyan Skal Clubs, Nairobi and Kenya Coast, have now rescheduled their planned coastal getaway and announced the weekend of September 20th to 23rd, with a Beach BBQ Dinner scheduled for Saturday the 21st of September to be […]
President Museveni presides over ground breaking ceremony at Karuma Falls power plant
KARUMA FALLS GROUNDBREAKING SIGNALS START TOWARDS 600 MW OF ADDED POWER (Posted 13th August 2013) President Yoweri Museveni yesterday performed the ground breaking ceremony for the proposed 600 MW Karuma Falls hydro electric plant, for which contracts had only been signed weeks earlier after a long drawn out wrangle between bidders, Uganda’s public review […]
Masai Cricket Warriors invited for London appearance
This is a re-posting in support of the Kenyan Masai Warriors Cricket team which is due to leave for the UK shortly to perform at the ‘Last Man Stands World Championship’ between 25th August and 04th of September. Best of luck to Aliya and all her supporters to raise the required funds and send the […]
