Tanzania conservation news – Plastic bags to be banned, finally
GOOD NEWS FOR TANZANIAS ENVIRONMENT, AT LAST A total ban for the manufacture and use of plastic bags is in the offing in Tanzania, as government is fine-tuning legislative and regulatory drafts, which in due course are to be submitted to parliament for debate and endorsement. Previous control measures, introduced in 2006, proved to be […]
Kenya aviation news – Nyaribo airstrip near Nyeri gets new paved 1.3 KM runway
NYARIBO AIRSTRIP GETS UPGRADE AND EXPANSION The Kenya Airports Authority has during the week inspected the 180 million Kenya Shillings input in modernizing and expanding this airfield in Nyeri county, assuring the aviation and business fraternity present during the occasion of continued infrastructural improvements for the industry. The runway expansion and addition of brand new […]
East Africa news update – Common currency talks set for Entebbe
FINANCIAL MARKET INSTABILITY PROMPTS ADDED TALKS ON CURRENCY UNION Recent wild swings in the values of the three core currencies and record devaluations within the East African Community, the Kenya Tanzania Uganda Shillings, has resulted in Central Bank chiefs, apparently with the blessing of their political masters, to advance the schedule of talks towards a […]
Uganda aviation breaking news – Qatar Airways rocks market with incredible launch fares
QATARS LAUNCH FARES SWEEP THE MARKET True to their word, that their launch fares would rock the market, has Qatar Airways now published incredible deals for the first week of operations into Uganda, covering the period between 02nd November until 11th November. Regular travelers, when told of the launch fares, were stunned, asking after quoting […]
Seychelles news – Water reservoirs now more than half full again, rationing ends
WATER SHORTAGE ENDS, FINALLY Intense and out of season rains in recent week have started to fill up the main water reservoirs cross the main island of Mahe, allowing the Public Utilities Corporation to end the strict rationing regime it had to introduce at the height of the drought. As reported here at the time, […]
Tanzania aviation news – Precision Air IPO ends, results out on 11th November
PRECISION AIR IPO ENDS Yesterday saw the closure of the IPO of Precision Air shares, for which Tanzanians and East Africans could place applications of a minimum of 200 shares, valued at 475 Tanzania Shillings. Stock brokers and participating banks reported doing brisk business and there is an air of expectation that the offer is […]
South Sudan news – GoSS and JICA sign technical cooperation agreement for new bridge in Juba
NEW NILE BRIDGE FOR JUBA The Japan International Cooperation Agency, in short JICA, has earlier in the week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of South Sudan, Ministry of Roads and Bridges, for the construction of a 560 metre long bridge crossing the Nile. The agency had for the past several months conducted […]
Rwanda aviation breaking news – Second B737-800 ‘Sky Interior’ lands in Kigali to join the growing RwandAir fleet
RWANDAIR WELCOMES HOME 9XR WG (RwandAirs new bird performing a fly past over the runway of the airport) A second brand new B737-800 landed this afternoon at Kanombe International Airport in Kigali, bringing the fleet of RwandAir to now 7 aircraft, both leased and owned. The aircraft, fitted with Boeings latest cabin layout Boeing Sky […]
Uganda aviation news – Just days to go until Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight
QATAR AIRWAYS TARGETTING TRAVELLERS TO CHINA, GLOBAL NETWORK Only days away from its inaugural flight between Doha and Entebbe is Qatar Airways stepping up its marketing efforts, in fact pulling out all the stops, to get into the hearts and minds of travel agents and frequent travelers. The fight for market share now goes underway […]
Kenya aviation news – Kenya Airways releases Quarter 2 results
KENYA AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES OPERATING RESULTS FOR QUARTER TWO The Pride of Africa yesterday released consolidated Quarter Two results, showing once again impressive growth and giving hope to a subsequent rise in the companys share price, which in view of the soon to be launched rights issue has been somewhat trading below true value. The offered […]
Seychelles aviation breaking news – B767-200’s go back to ILFC
AIR SEYCHELLES RETURNS TWO B767-200 TO ILFC Negotiations over the early return of two leased B767-200 aircraft to the International Lease Finance Corporation were successfully concluded earlier in the week and the first of the two birds, Isle de Bijoutier flew out of Mahe International Airport today after the required final engineering checks had been […]
Horn of Africa opinion piece – As Kenya goes into Somalia, Afwerki sneaks off to Khartoum
AS KENYA GOES INTO SOMALIA, AFWERKI SNEAKS OFF TO KHARTOUM No sooner had Kenya upped the ante in the Horn of Africa, by sending troops, navy and airforce units into Somalia to pursue the radial Islamist Al Shabab militias, a known Al Qaida affiliate organization, did Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki get into a plane to […]
Tanzania hospitality news – Union uses Minister to force itself upon the Holiday Inn
HOTEL UNION USES MINISTER TO FORCE ITSELF UPON THE HOLIDAY INN IN DAR It was learned yesterday that the Minister for Labour and Employment in the Tanzanian government has apparently become a willing tool to force recognition of a labour union on the management of the Holiday Inn Hotel in Dar es Salaam, when after […]
Uganda news – Golf course under renewed threat by so called developers, aka destroyers
KAMPALAS GOLF COURSE UNDER THREAT BY DEVELOPERS Alarming news spread through the golfing fraternity yesterday when developers a byword nowadays for greedy and often destructive assaults on green open spaces across the city, fenced off a portion of the Kitante Golf Club in the heart of the city. Owned by the Uganda Golf Union the […]
Seychelles to host ICTP launch at World Travel Market
SEYCHELLES TO HOST ICTP LAUNCH AT WTM The launch of the International Council of Tourism Partners when all signed up members will be revealed to the international media at the World Travel Market, is taking place on November 08th at the Seychelles stand AS550 at 16.00 hrs, hosted by the Seychelles Tourism Board. Seychelles, a […]
Rwanda aviation news – Second brand new B737-800 now enroute to ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills’
FERRY FLIGHT UNDERWAY FOR SECOND RWANDAIR B737-800 RwandAirs second new bird is now in the air enroute to its final destination Kigali, after a formal handover ceremony at Boeing in Seattle. As was the case with the first B737-800 a few weeks ago, RwandAirs chief pilot Capt. Babis is the pilot in command and will […]
African conservation news – Another ton of blood ivory seized at Chinese border
ANOTHER TON OF IVORY SEIZED IN VIETNAM ENROUTE TO CHINA The words deafening silence come to mind when the official response to petitions and pleas by global conservation organizations to the Chinese government is described over the countrys deplorable record in illegal ivory and rhino horn trade. In the cross hairs for the past two […]
Kenya tourism and conservation news – Museum Society all set for ‘Know Kenya Better’ week
KENYA MUSEUM READY FOR KNOW KENYA MORE WEEK As the hashtag line #TembeaKenya finds ever more followers amongst the tweep community in Kenya, with live reports from their travel across the country tweeted in and then re-tweeted by Magical Kenya and Kenya Wildlife Service, was the Kenya Museum Society busy to put final touches on […]
Kenya news update – Will new roads, bypasses and flyover bring salvation to Nairobi’s traffic congestion?
INVESTMENTS IN NEW ROADS AND BYPASSES WILL IMPROVE LIFE QUALITY IN NAIROBI A regular deep throat source in Kenyas capital city of Nairobi has told this correspondent that governments ongoing efforts to improve the road network in and around Nairobi will yield big results in the next 3 5 years, when quality of life in […]
Kenya news update – Police announce first arrests, seize arms and explosives
FIRST ARREST IN BLAST CASE YIELDS WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVES The Kenya Police was able to give good news overnight that a first arrest has been made in connection with the ongoing search for the culprits in the dual grenade blasts, which have rocked Nairobis streets two days ago. I am not authorized to give official […]
Uganda aviation news – Travel agents lock horns with Gulf Air in absence of offices and GSA
GULF AIR OFF TO ROCKY START IN KAMPALA A recent seminar for a very select group of agents and press conference for equally select media representatives by Gulf Air in Kampala seems to have served little purpose other than exposing the state of un-readiness, as emails obtained by this correspondent between travel agents and the […]
Ethiopia aviation news – Singapore new ET destination from November by codeshare
ETHIOPIAN STARTS CODESHARE TO SINGAPORE Effective 01st of November will Singapore Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines commence a codeshared flight connection between Addis Ababa and Singapore, adding a new destination for both airlines. The daily flights will route via Dubai, from Addis served by ET on a codeshared basis, and passengers destined to Singapore will then […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region, Fourth edition October 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region 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 […]
Kenya aviation news – Now KAA follows KCAA to demand higher fees and charges
AIR CARGO OPERATORS OPPOSE NEW KAA CHARGES Attempts by the Kenya Airport Authority to milk operators as an aviation source put it, follow hot on the heels of similar attempts by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to raise fees and charges. If KAA could produce a good product, if they had kept pace with demand […]
Kenya breaking news – Second blast rocks Nairobi in the space of 18 hours
SECOND BLAST IN NAIROBI KILLS ONE, INJURES MANY Nairobi was stunned by a second attack yesterday evening, this time taking at least one life and injuring at least 13 other innocent bystanders following an attack at a bus terminal. A major security crackdown was already underway following a similar incident in the early hours of […]
African conservation news – Ivory, burn or sell – The controversy rages on
IVORY BURN OR SELL, THE CONTROVERSY RAGES ON The white gold as ivory is also known, is living up to its billing as the price of the contraband commodity has shot through the proverbial roof in recent years, and keeps climbing. This development has fueled the greed of potential sellers of ivory just as the […]
Kenya breaking news – Grenade attack on bar leaves 14 injured, no details available on motives or perpetrators
AT LEAST 14 INJURED FOLLOWING A GRENADE EXPLOSION AT MWAURAS BAR Kenyans will be waking up to shock news that an apparent grenade attack on a local bar in Nairobi has left at least 14 injured, some of them seriously. The attack occurred around 3 a.m. when the bar was already closed but patrons inside […]
Kenya news update – Reactions to US Embassy warning on terror alert
ANTI TRAVEL ADVISORIES SETTLING OLD SCORES OR NEW SCORES OR WHAT Reactions from Nairobi were swift and mostly acid over the warning issued by the US Embassy to their nationals living in Kenya over the increased if not imminent risk of a terror attack, and none was complimentary as could be expected: A case for […]
Tanzania aviation news – Seneca 3 crash at JRO claims pilot’s life
ARUSHA CRASH BLAMED ON INEPT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL MECHANISM The crash outside Kilimanjaro International Airport last Thursday night, in which the pilot was seriously injured and one apparent trainee pilot killed, has been attributed by aviation sources to inept air traffic control mechanisms, after the Seneca 3 apparently ran out of fuel. A regular aviation […]
Kenya tourism news – Magical Kenya Travel Expo another success story
MAGICAL KENYA TOURISM SHOW A TOTAL SUCCESS First feedback from Nairobi tells the story of the tourism industrys delight with the KTB brainchild Magical Kenya Travel Show which showcased the countrys tourism attractions from the coast to the lake and all the national parks, game reserves and monuments in between. Aimed at the regional and […]
