Air traffic controllers in Kenya on yet another go slow
KENYA’S ATC INFLICTS MORE PAIN ON AIRLINES Kenya’s aviation primadonnas, aka air traffic controllers, have once again decided to move from regular work to slow go, inflicting some serious pain on travelers and the airlines flying within Kenya but also the international carriers coming to Nairobi. As reported recently, such measures keep piling up delays […]
Entebbe Highway project launches today
PRESIDENT MUSEVENI TO BREAK GROUND AS ENTEBBE HIGHWAY WORK GOES UNDERWAY Construction of the long awaited new toll highway between Kampala and Entebbe will finally go underway as President Museveni will today perform the ground breaking ceremony to signal the formal project start. Two key elements will be covered under the project, namely a new […]
Precision Air confident of long term future as Tanzania’s premier airline
PRECISION AIR TO STICK TO MARKET STRATEGY AS RIVALS REVEAL FARE STRUCTURE Tanzania’s premier airline Precision Air appears undaunted by the prospect of big talking FastJet coming on line in coming weeks, as another ATR42-600 state of the art turboprop aircraft joined their fleet a few days ago. FastJet appears to be putting as many […]
Legal cases over KTB appointments end, for now
KTF WITHDRAWS CASE AGAINST MWAZO The pending court case by the Kenya Tourism Federation against tourism minister Danson Mwazo was yesterday withdrawn in the High Court in Nairobi, following the Industrial Court’s decision earlier to re-instate Muriithi Ndegwa to the position as rightful CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board. A regular source in Nairobi attributed […]
Kenya Airways appoints Chris Diaz as new Marketing Director
KENYA AIRWAYS APPOINTS CHRIS DIAZ AS NEW DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Kenya Airways has just announced the appointment of Mr. Chris Diaz as their new Director of Marketing, effective immediately. Chris joins Kenya Airways from BIDCO Group where he served as the Group Marketing Director, overseeing functions in Communications, Corporate Affairs and Business Development across different […]
Congo fails to draw Rwanda into civil conflict
CONGO’S REGIME TROOPS FIRE INTO RWANDA In what has been described as a blatant act of aggression and an overt attempt to drag Rwanda into the civil conflict raging in Eastern Congo, have regime soldiers fired mortar rounds and shells into Rwanda, killing at least two innocent Rwandans and injuring several more. Notably this is […]
STB Chairman launches new hotel investment tender
SEYCHELLES INVESTMENT BUREAU SEEKS INVESTORS FOR AIRPORT HOTEL PROJECT As the archipelago is gearing up towards yet another major tourism festival, SUBIOS, aka The Festival of the Sea, has the Seychelles Investments Bureau launched the Ile Soleil project where a major new hotel, located within close distance to the international airport is at the centre […]
5th cable to double internet capacity in Kenya and beyond
KENYA TO GET ANOTHER FIBRE OPTIC LINK TO THE WORLD When a planned 4th fibreoptic cable will connect Kenya, and the hinterland countries, with the rest of the world, capacity will nearly double from the present 8.5 terabyte per second to over 15 terabyte a second, allowing for greater penetration of internet usage in Kenya […]
COMESA’s Business Forum brings together hundreds from the 19 member trade bloc
8TH COMESA BUSINESS FORUM GOES UNDERWAY IN KAMPALA An extensive programme awaits participants of the 08th COMESA Business Forum which kicks off today at the lakeside resort convention centre of Munyonyo, ahead of the upcoming 16th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government. Top rated speakers will cover a range of topics from Africa’s […]
Serena Beach bags Eco Warrior Award 2012
SERENA BAGS KENYA’S ECO WARRIOR AWARD 2012 The Serena Beach Hotel and Spa was last weekend crowned with EcoTourism Kenya’s Eco Warrior Award for 2012 in recognition of nearly 20 years of dedication towards turtle and butterfly conservation along Shanzu Beach in Mombasa, where the resort is located. At the same function EcoTourism Kenya also […]
Praslin set to get new Coco de Mer reserve
Fond Ferdinand Seychelles- A new Coco de Mer Nature Reserve open its doors (Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange planting a Coco de Mer, picture courtesy of MoTC) A few weeks ahead of its official opening, the Praslin special Coco de Mer Nature Reserve, Fond Ferdinand lifted the curtain allowing government representatives […]
UWA starts mountain biking on Mt. Elgon
UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY LAUNCHES MOUNTAIN BIKING AT MT. ELGON Tourism sources have expressed their satisfaction over news that UWA is now permitting the use of mountain bikes at Mt. Elgon National Park, a trans-boundary ecosystem shared with neighbouring Kenya. The formal launch took place last Friday when a group of Irish mountain bikers took to […]
Jetlink case only the tip of the iceberg as South Sudan defaults on large scale
JETLINK SAGA PUTS PRESSURE ON KENYA GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON SOUTH SUDAN The halt of operations by Jetlink, one of Kenya’s leading privately owned airlines, has not only stunned Kenyans but also exposed a weak link in the relations between Kenya and South Sudan, namely payment for goods and services rendered. It is understood from […]
Hong Kong blood ivory seizure triggers ministerial response in Dar es Salaam
KAGESHEKI OWNS UP TO HONG KONG IVORY HAUL, PROMISES FRESH ANTI POACHING EFFORTS When the latest blood ivory shipment was seized in Hong Kong last week, no nonsense Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Khamis Kagesheki, unlike on the last occasion a few weeks earlier, did not call into doubt that the source named by […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Third edition November 2012
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 […]
Ethiopian Airlines set for major capacity boost on Berbera route
ETHIOPIAN DOUBLES BERBERA CAPACITY A regular source in Addis Ababa has confirmed that come December 01st the airline will massively increase capacity to Berbera / Somalia in a move seen as broader confirmation that peace is returning progressively to that previously wartorn country and demand for air travel to and from that part of Somalia […]
Vanilla Island Cooperation begins to show impact on tourism marketing
Indian Ocean Islands Community rallies to discuss tourism Photo Caption:- (Top)President Didier Robert of La Reunion welcomes Ministers to his tourism island destination and below Seychelles Ministers Jean Paul Adam (Foreign Affairs) and Alain St.Ange (Tourism & Culture) ‘Tourism cannot be done from our offices, like a fisherman who does not fish in a fishmongers […]
Tour du Rwanda starts today
TOUR DU RWANDA 2012 STARTS TODAY Rwanda’s annual cycling tour is going underway this morning at the national Amahoro Stadium with the first of the 8 stages this year taking riders across the capital Kigali. 15 Teams from 8 African countries and beyond are competing for the honours, a tough test though as the route […]
Fresh threats to the survival of the Serengeti
SERENGETI MUST NOT DIE – RELOADED VERSION 2.0 With the contentious and potentially lethal Serengeti Highway not yet fully out of the picture, and the route of a proposed railway line to from Tanga to Musoma on Lake Victoria kept a tightly guarded secret, rousing more suspicion about another battle between conservationists and politicians looming […]
Air Mauritius set to go nonstop to Shanghai
AIR MAURITIUS SET TO LAUNCH NON STOP FLIGHTS TO SHANGHAI Come January 24th Air Mauritius will start nonstop flights between Port Louis and Shanghai, using an Airbus A340 aircraft, dropping the stopover in Kuala Lumpur en route. Flights to Shanghai, via KL, commenced in July last year and helped to increase the number of Chinese […]
SunAfricaHotels ‘Sovereign Suites’ named as best new luxury hotel in Kenya
SOVEREIGN SUITES NAMED AS BEST NEW LUXURY HOTEL IN KENYA The Sovereign Suites, opened earlier this year in the hills of Limuru, outside Kenya’s capital Nairobi, has been an instant hit with those seeking luxurious surroundings away from the hustle and bustle of the city, out of the sight of crowds but ever the focus […]
Update of Aweil crash
SUDAN AVIATION RECORD GETS ANOTHER BLOW WITH F50 CRASH IN AWEIL A Kenya registered Fokker 50, used for flights inside Sudan by the International Organization for Migration IOM, crashed yesterday late afternoon while attempting to land in Aweil / South Sudan, coming from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum with a full passenger load of Southern […]
Another crash in Sudan raises more questions about aviation safety
SUDAN AVIATION RECORD GETS ANOTHER BLOW WITH F50 CRASH IN AWEIL (Picture of a F50 – courtesy of Wikipedia) A Kenya registered Fokker 50, used for flights inside Sudan by the International Organization for Migration IOM, crashed yesterday late afternoon while attempting to land in Aweil / South Sudan, coming from the Sudanese capital of […]
Kakira Nile Polo tournament only a week away
KAKIRA NILE POLO CLUB TO HOST THE ANNUAL NILE GOLD INVITATIONAL NEXT WEEKEND The Kakira Nile Polo Club will next weekend host their annual invitational meeting at the Kakira Polo Ground, located on the sprawling Kakira Estate a few miles beyond the Jinja municipality enroute to the East of the country. More information is available […]
Sheraton Kampala hosts Italian week
ITALIAN WEEK AT THE SHERATON KAMPALA HOTEL – A HAPPY MIX OF BUSINESS AND FOOD The Sheraton Kampala is once more the place to be, this time for an Italian Week where business and cuisine will meet in equal measure. The business to business meetings, and exhibition is held jointly with the Italian Embassy in […]
Hong Kong customs seize more blood ivory
MORE TANZANIA BLOOD IVORY NABBED IN HONG KONG Information was just received that customs in Hong Kong have again detected and confiscated more than a ton of blood ivory, shipped from Dar es Salaam via Dubai and destined for onward transport to an un-named final destination thought to be on the China mainland. More than […]
KWS set for Northern Kenya aerial game count
KWS TO CONDUCT WILDLIFE COUNT IN NORTHERN KENYA The Kenya Wildlife Service will commence an aerial wildlife count with special aim on elephant and Grevy zebra starting from November 25th, involving as many as 12 aircraft and lasting until November 30th. Target areas are the Samburu National Park, the Marsabit area and Shaba Game Reserve, […]
Routes Africa comes to Kampala in 2013
ROUTES AFRICA ANNOUNCES KAMPALA 2013 DATES The international Routes organization has just announced the dates for the 08th African Routes Development Conference, to be held in Kampala / Uganda next year. Co-hosted by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and the Entebbe International Airport it is set for the 07th – 09th of July next year […]
Mwazo loses in court as Muriithi triumphantly reclaims his position as KTB CEO
MWAZO SUFFERS DEFEAT IN COURT OVER MURIITHI’S APPOINTMENT The ruling today of the Industrial Court in favour of Muriithi Ndegwa as CEO of KTB, affirming that he indeed holds a valid 3 year contract extension as handed to him by the Head of Civil Service, finally restores a sense of order and continuity to the […]
Single security check to become part of Terminal 4 travel experience
NEW TERMINAL 4 TO FEATURE ONE SINGLE SECURITY CHECK The Kenya Airport Authority has just announced that they will introduce a single point security check for the new Terminal 4, which is presently under construction. Once cleared the KAA statement pointed out passengers will then no longer require the added level of gate security prior […]
