Kipng’etich hits at wildlife NGO’s at fare well dinner / Re-broadcast via Kenya Wildlife Services
An interesting perspective of course and I am sure we will NOT have heard the last of this saga as ‘those NGO’s’ will no doubt hit back and they too will get their space here … and inspite of his accomplishments let us not forget that Dr. Julius caused the arrest and prosecution of the […]
The Lamu Cultural Festival 2012 / Reposted via Mombasa & Coast Tourist Association
The 12th Lamu Cultural FestivalPosted: 26 Oct 2012 02:29 AM PDT The Lamu Cultural Festival will be officially launched on Tuesday 30th October 2012 at the Hotel InterContinental. The 12thLamu Cultural Festival will be taking place from the 15th to 18thNovember at the Lamu Old Town. Lamu Old town has been in existence for over […]
Appeals case by Maniago moved to November as prisons fail to produce convicts in court
MANIAGO APPEAL CASE MOVED AS PRISONS FAIL TO PRODUCE CONVICTS The appeal filed by Maniago Safaris against being enjoined in the conviction of former Tourism PS Rebecca Nabutola, former KTB CEO Dr. Achieng and former Maniago CEO Duncan Muriuki was deferred to November 05th, when the prison authorities were found to have ignored an order […]
After the Entebbe toll highway, will Jinja be next?
ENTEBBE TOLL HIGHWAY CONCEPT TO SERVE FOR JINJA HIGHWAY TOO The Uganda National Road Authority, presently in the final stages to settle compensation with owners of tracts of land acquired to build the new Entebbe Highway – a project due to break ground some time in 2013 – has indicated that they are looking at […]
Mauritius raises fees to watch whales and dolphins by up to 10 times
MAURITIUS RAISES FEES FOR DOLPHIN AND WHALE WATCHING Information was received from Port Louis that an activity popular with tourists, whale and dolphin watching and ‘swimming with dolphins’ will soon cost a lot more, following a revision of the fee structure levied on excursion operators. Presently costing 1.000 Mauritius Rupees, the new fees will rise […]
Bus company staff laugh at suggestion they would loose passengers to FastJet
BUS COMPANIES LAUGH AT ATTEMPT BY FASTJET TO ‘STEAL’ THEIR CLIENTS A day spent in the city yesterday brought with it the opportunity to carry out a quick survey from among staff of inter-country bus companies, plying the routes between Kampala and Nairobi, but also beyond Kenya’s capital to Mombasa, Arusha and Dar es Salaam. […]
Kampala’s Oktoberfest brought the delights of German cuisine to Uganda
AT SHERATON’S OKTOBERFEST WITH ‘DIRNDL AND GAMSBART AM HUT’ When the German Ambassador and the British High Commissioner sit down together over a Friday night meal, and in public, it must be special one might say, and it was. The Sheraton Kampala pulled out all the stops and the kitchen brigade produced an buffet full […]
Kempinski Villa Rosa Nairobi reveals new team with Bernard Mercier as GM
KEMPINSKI VILLA ROSA PRESENTS NEW GENERAL MANAGER Bernard Mercier was recently appointed as Kempinski’s first General Manager, for the soon to open Kempinski Villa Rosa in Nairobi as well as overseeing the Olare Mara Kempinski, an existing property being taken under the Kempinski branding, management and marketing. Bernard joins the newly built Nairobi Kempinski from […]
Minister boots Muriithi Ndegwa from KTB as stakeholders say ‘Mwazo must go’
TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS DEMAND ‘MWAZO MUST GO’ OVER KTB APPOINTMENT Kenya’s Minister for Tourism Danson Mwazo is turning out to be as hapless as his erstwhile Tanzanian counterpart Ezekiel Maige, who fell into his own sword over constant blunders, gaffes and major scandals in his ministry earlier this year. Already depicted as a poor substitute, elevated […]
Air Seychelles increases flights between Mahe and Praslin
AIR SEYCHELLES ADDS MORE INTER ISLAND FLIGHTS Effective from Sunday, 28th of October, will Air Seychelles increase domestic flights between the international airport on Mahe to the aerodrome on Praslin by nearly 40 percent. According to information received from the archipelago will departure periods with peak demand see a doubling of flights, providing over 5.200 […]
Congo oh Congo – Umpteen.0 reloaded
CONGO REGIME LEADER BLAMES HIS OWN FAILURES ON NEIGHBOURS Congo’s regime leader Joseph Kabila seems to have shaken off the stunning blow delivered during the recently concluded Francophone Summit in Kinshasa, when both the French President and the Canadian Prime Minister accused him publicly of stealing the elections and of an atrocious human rights record, […]
Marburg outbreak not a threat to tourists claim officials
MARBURG OUTBREAK NOT A THREAT TO TOURISTS Officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Tourist Board have gone on record yesterday in Kampala, trying to calm the jitters which have spread across the tourism sector last week when an outbreak of the Marburg fever was confirmed through tests at the Uganda Virus Research […]
Serena now offers horseback safaris at Soysambu
SERENA NOW OFFERS HORSEBACK SAFARIS ON SOYSAMBU CONSERVANCY The Lake Elementaita Serena, a very posh safari camp located on the Soysambu Conservancy comprising 24 tented suites, has added horse riding to their list of activities available for visitors. The horses were selected to cater for advanced riders as well as for novices and the guides […]
Tanzania embarrassed after Interpol asks for arrest of 4 over Hong Kong ivory seizure
INTERPOL REQUEST TO NAB FOUR SUSPECTS RUBBISHES TANZANIA’S DENIALS The recent seizure of blood ivory in Hong Kong by customs officials, said to be worth over 3.4 million US Dollars and containing over 1.200 tusks representing over 600 poached elephant, drew prompt denials from Tanzanian officials, when Dar es Salaam was named as one of […]
Reflections by a long time resident about UG@50
UG@50 – REFLECTIONS FROM A LONG TIME RESIDENT When I set foot into Uganda in April 1992, way ahead of celebrating the country’s 30th anniversary of Independence from Britain, it was an eye opener and a half for me. A country blessed with a lot of rain, good soil for ample harvests, a recently passed […]
After acrobatic flying comes paragliding adding to Uganda’s reputation as adventure destination
AFTER ACROBATIC FLYING COMES PARAGLIDING FOR THRILL SEEKERS No sooner has acrobatic flying at the Kampala Aero Club’s Kajjansi field become popular with the thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies living in or visiting Uganda has the next adventure activity taken off in the Pearl of Africa. Paragliding is the latest adrenaline booster and a most […]
Fly 540 Kenya’s woes continue unabated
FLY 540 KENYA WOES CONTINUE UNABATED A temporary relief, granted by court for a period of 30 days, may be the last lifeline for embattled Fly540 in Kenya, as creditors are now moving in for the proverbial ‘kill’ to have the airline wound up. Defying a court verdict by commercial court Justice Jonathan Havelock to […]
RwandAir does Africa proud by introducing the CRJ900NG
RWANDAIR ENTERS NEW PHASE OF EXPANSION AS FIRST CRJ900NG ARRIVES (Picture courtesy of Bombardier / RwandAir’s CEO John Mirenge cutting the tape in Montreal) Kigali’s international airport came alive to the sound of drums when the first of two, and potentially four CRJ900NG aircraft arrived in Rwanda, The Land of a Thousand Hills. RwandAir is […]
Air Tanzania’s latest ‘acquisition’ questioned by aviation observers
OUTRAGE OVER AIR TANZANIA LEASE AGREEMENT GROWS When information was unearthed last week about the cost of the lease of an aged B737-200 aircraft, Air Tanzania seems to have wetleased from a South African firm, Star Air Cargo. The 32 year old aircraft, which first went into service in 1980 at British Airtours in the […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Fourth edition October 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 […]
Air Mauritius adds Perth in change of heart
AIR MAURITIUS ADDS THIRD AUSTRALIA FLIGHT WITH DESTINATION PERTH Information has been received from a usually reliable source that Air Mauritius, which just won the World Travel Awards’ ‘Best airline in the Indian Ocean’ appears set to add a third flight from Port Louis to Australia, with Perth as the destination of choice and not […]
Hong Kong customs nab blood ivory shipment
HONG KONG CUSTOMS IMPOUND 4 TONS OF BLOOD IVORY In what has been described as the biggest seizure of blood ivory has the customs department in Hong Kong in a joint operation with other security organs confiscated nearly 4 tons of ivory, representing the life of over 600 elephants. Shipment documents indicate that the two […]
One down and seven to go as Seychelles first windpower plant gains shape
ONE DOWN AND SEVEN TO GO FOR WINDPOWER PROJECT IN THE SEYCHELLES Information from Mahe confirms that the first of overall 8 windpower turbines, which are assembled in two locations on the main island of the Seychelles as a pilot project to tap into renewable energy sources, has now been assembled in full on the […]
Dar es Salaam remains tense after army deploys in hot spots
DAR ES SALAAM REMAINS TENSE AFTER ARMY DEPLOYS IN HOT SPOTS The most recent clashes between separatists and religious radicals in Zanzibar, which caused considerable concern amongst the island’s tourism fraternity, have been mirrored in Dar es Salaam during the week, where demonstrations following the arrests of radicals descended into more church burnings, leaving the […]
FastJet signs up for Airbus A319 number two and three
FASTJET SIGNS UP FOR TWO MORE A 319’S Seemingly unperturbed by aviators sentiments from the region and seeing their much hyped up 20 US Dollar fare being torn to shreds after exposing it as a mirage, has FastJet reportedly signed up for two more Airbus A319 aircraft, configured with 150+ seats in an all economy […]
Mauritius scoops 7 awards at World Tourism Award Ceremony in Singapore
MAURITIUS CAPTURES 7 WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS AT SINGAPORE CEREMONY Inspite of Mauritius’s Tourism Promotion Authority’s less than impressive run over the past year have the island’s private sector stakeholders risen to the occasion in staying on top of their class in the Indian Ocean area, and subsequently scooped 7 top honours for the island.\ The […]
Marburg outbreak ‘joined’ by at least one Yellow Fever case
DOUBLE WHAMMY AS YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK JOINS MARBURG Uganda’s tourism industry is in jitters since the announcement that Marburg fever has been identified as the cause of death of at least four people in Kabale District in South Western Uganda as reported here yesterday. The situation was made worse when it became known that at […]
Mara Serena and Mombasa Serena set for face lift
SERENA’S REFURBISHMENTS ON TRACK TO STAY TOP OF THE POPS Work has been progressing well at the Mara Serena Lodge where since February this year part of the public areas like the reception, the boutique, the main bar, lounge and the Spa are being transformed and given a new look. The extended timeframe is a […]
Marburg fever outbreak suspected in South Western Uganda
REFUGEES FROM CONGO SUSPECTED TO HAVE BROUGHT MARBURG TO UGANDA According to emerging reports from South Western Uganda there is increasing suspicion of an outbreak of the deadly Marburg fever and affected individuals have been tested and put into a full quarantine. A team of health officials is on the ground, assisted reportedly by security […]
Kiprono, the new KWS Chief Executive – meet the man
WILLIAM K. KIPRONO – THE NEW KWS CEO William Kibet Kiprono was recently, as published here within the hour of the information coming form State House Nairobi, appointed Director, Kenya Wildlife Service, in October 2012. He was a County Commissioner, Vihiga County prior to this high profile appointment. Kiprono has served in the public service […]
