Kenya coast news – Likoni ferry gives commuters a major scare
LIKONI FERRY GIVES COMMUTERS A MAJOR SCARE Only a week after the sinking of the MV Spice Islander ferry enroute between Zanzibar and Pemba, when over 200 lives were lost and others are still said to be missing, did the Likoni Ferry in Mombasa give passengers a similar scare yesterday. Coming from the mainland and […]
Kenya aviation news – Kisumu’s new airport facilities now open
KISUMU OPENS NEW TERMINAL AND FACILITIES The long awaited day has dawned that the new buildings and facilities at Kisumu Airport were finally handed over and opened their doors to airlines, service providers and passengers. The new terminal, able to handle 500 passengers an hour with ease, has state of the art facilities, shops and […]
Africa news – AU as deluded as ever over Gadaffi role in the new Libya
AFRICAN UNION STILL DEMANDS GADAFFI ROLE The African Union has of late not exactly excelled in its role, not over Darfur, not over the continued aggression by the regime in Khartoum against their newest member the Republic of South Sudan, not over Somalia where dillydallying is the order of the day and for sure not […]
East African aviation news – The Battle for the Skies turns into The Battle for the Pilots
THE BATTLE FOR THE SKIES TURNS INTO THE BATTLE FOR PILOTS The arrival earlier in the week of another Embraer E190 jet at Kenya Airways base in Embakasi, the prospect of two more such aircraft coming to join the fleet very shortly and the apparent review of terms and conditions by the Kenya Civil Aviation […]
Uganda conservation news – Rafting for Rhinos with Nile River Explorers
UGANDA IS RAFTING FOR RHINOS AGAIN The Rhino Fund Uganda / Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has sent out a timely reminder that on the 24th September the annual Raft for Rhinos race will be taking place on the River Nile. Organized with one of Ugandas leading adventure travel companies, Nile River Explorers, the raft race will […]
Rwanda aviation news – Special fares promote RwandAir’s ‘new bird’
RWANDAIR PROMOTES NEW AIRCRAFT WITH SPECIAL FARES Information was received from Kigali overnight that RwandAir, the countrys national airline, has used the arrival of their first B737-800 and the imminent going into production of their second B737-800 to promote the destinations where the new bird is being deployed with extra special fares. The new aircraft […]
Uganda aviation news – Changes at Brussels Airlines as Pierre Declerck leaves for Nairobi
CHANGE AT BRUSSELS AIRLINES UGANDA OFFICE After nearly 7 years at the helm of Brussels Airlines is Pierre Declerck leaving Kampala to move an hours flight away to Nairobi while Benjamin Puissant is taking over from him. A new title too is on his calling card as Country Manager Uganda and South Sudan, giving indication […]
Kenya conservation news – 32 tusks seized at Mombasa port, destined for China
VIGILANT CUSTOMS STAFF IMPOUNDS 32 TUSKS AT MOMBASA PORT China was the destination of a container, which upon closer inspection by customs and enforcement staff was found to contain 32 elephant tusks, when a gut feeling prompted officers last night to open the shipment only to discover blood ivory. A shipping agent was subsequently arrested […]
Kenya tourism news – TLB stands accused of conducting ‘insensitive vehicle checks’ on tourist vehicles
STOP HARASSING OUR DRIVERS, SAFARI OPERATORS TELL TRANSPORT BOARD The Chairman of the Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association Mohamed Hersi has made sweeping accusations against a reported crackdown by the countrys Transport Licensing Boards personnel engaged in road blocks and vehicle checks in the area around Voi, a popular cross road from Mombasa into Tsavo […]
Uganda news update – Museum to stay says new Minister for Tourism
MUSEUM TO STAY SAYS NEW MINISTER Ahead in wisdom and intellectual capacity over his predecessor by miles has the new Minister for Tourism, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu finally said in public what was an open secret in the corridors of the tourism ministry: The Museum will stay. The previous minister, notorious for a range of shoot […]
Seychelles aviation breaking news – Air Seychelles gets new CEO
AIR SEYCHELLES GETS NEW CEO Bram Steller is according to reliable sources going to join HM as new Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Mr. Maurice Loustau-Lalanne who has served as stand in Executive Chairman for almost six months, since Capt. David Savy retired from the airline following the departure of the former CEO. Bram […]
Tanzania news update – TAZARA turns 35
TAZARA TURNS 35 The obligatory birthday celebration took place in Dar es Salaam yesterday for the Tanzania Zambia Railway, build in the early 1970s by China to link Zambia with a safe port in Tanzania while the then apartheid regime in South Africa all but blocked imports and exports to and from Zambia for supporting […]
Tanzania aviation news – Transport Minister defends throwing more money at ATCL
TRANSPORT MINISTER DEFENDS FUNDING FOR AILING AIR TANZANIA At the launch of the Transport Week on Wednesday this week, part of the ongoing preparations and celebrations of Tanzanias 50th independence anniversary, has the Minister for Transport Mr. Omar Nundu defended the 16 billion Tanzanian Shillings the government has poured into the financially and operationally stricken […]
Uganda tourism news update – Minister laments lack of funding and budget allocations
TOURISM MINISTER LAMENTS LOW FUNDING FOR HIS MINISTRY Our sector contributes 9.2 percent to the GDP of Uganda and yet we are only getting 0.14 percent in budget allocation from the overall annual budget said the Minister for Tourism Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu earlier in the week when addressing tourism stakeholders in Kampala. He asked his […]
East African aviation news – Stakeholders denounce CASSOA as greedy
AVIATION STAKEHOLDERS DENOUNCE CASSOA AS GREEDY Emotions were once again running high between aviation stakeholders and the regional Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency, when the latter announced the introduction of yet another fee to finance operations. These bureaucrats never learn. They also never listen. They are the main obstacle to make flying in […]
Uganda news update – Flooded Muzizi river disrupts key road link between parks
FLOODED RIVER MUZIZI CUTS DIRECT ROUTE BETWEEN PARKS The most direct connection for travel by road between Murchisons Falls National Park and the Queen Elizabeth National Park, with Kibale, Rwenzori and the Semliki Game Reserve also enroute, has been cut yesterday when the Muzizi river burst its banks following prolonged heavy rains lashing the catchment […]
Kenya conservation news – KWS to relocate up to 200 elephant into Masai Mara
KWS TO SHIFT DOZENS OF ELEPHANT FROM FARMING AREAS INTO THE MASAI MARA Information was given overnight that the Kenya Wildlife Service will embark next week to relocate as many as 200 elephant roaming the farmlands in the wider vicinity of the reserve and surrounding conservancies into the Masai Mara, following persistent complaints by farmers […]
East Africa news – Economic worries persist amid uncertain outlook for the future
BLEAK OUTLOOK FOR EAST AFRICAN ECONOMIES Record inflation and sliding currency values are now combining with higher interest rates, posing further challenges to the economies of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in coming months. Consumer confidence, from the little research available in the region, is nearing record lows and in particular rising food prices, partly as […]
Indian Ocean news update – Vanilla Islands step up surveillance amid security reviews
SEYCHELLES ASSURES VISITOR SAFETY AMIDST SECURITY REVIEW The events in Kenya in recent days, when a remote beach resort half way between Lamu and the Somali border was attacked, a British tourist killed and his wife abducted but suspected Somali intruders, has reverberated across the Vanilla Islands, triggering an immediate review of their own respective […]
Kenya news update – UK Metropolitan Police and Special Forces join hunt for abducted woman
UK SPECIAL FORCES AND DETECTIVES JOIN HUNT FOR ABDUCTED WOMAN Lamu and Kiwayu Island have been swarmed by the international media since the killing of a British citizen and the abduction of his wife a few days ago. In the very first release here speculation was already raised, at a time when official Kenya still […]
Kenya conservation news – KWS to celebrate World Rhino Day with cycling race in Nakuru
KWS MARKS WORLD RHINO DAY WITH CYCLING RACE IN NAKURU NP The increasing threat towards the very survival of the rhinos on the African continent will be highlighted when World Rhino Day is celebrated, drawing attention to the need to boost anti poaching measures, give greater protection to the species and make it abundantly clear […]
Seychelles tourism news update – Tourism industry to celebrate World Tourism Day with ‘Seychelles Ball’
ANNUAL TOURISM BALL BECOMES PART OF CALENDER OF EVENTS True to form has the Seychelles Tourism Board and the tourism industry across the archipelago raised their game again and will hold Seychelles Ball 2011 to commemorate the UN World Tourism Organizations World Tourism Day in style. Saturday the 24th of September will see the Seychelles […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean regions, Second edition September 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 stories are also […]
Kenya aviation news – New terminal construction for JKIA attracts interest from around the world
NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL ATTRACTS INTEREST FROM ACROSS THE WORLD Information received overnight from Nairobi talks of over 100 international and regional construction companies expressing interests in the tender documents available from the Kenya Airports Authority for the re-development of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into a first class international airport with the capacity to handle an […]
EAC news update – Spats over jurisdiction for Serengeti Highway go to EAC Summit
CROSS BORDER SENTIMENTS TO COME TO A HEAD IN NOVEMBER EAC SUMMIT Disturbing news have reached from Arusha that the debate on the Transboundary Ecosystems Management Bill which was introduced in 2010 to the East African Community Legislative Assembly, has upon substantial pressure by the Tanzanian government been postponed to allow the forthcoming Head of […]
Uganda conservation news – UWA and NFA jointly offer free entrance to promote ‘bird watching’
BIRD WATCHING BONANZA FOR WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATIONS Ugandans will once more have the opportunity to get into the countrys national parks and forest reserves free of charge at the end of the month, when the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the National Forest Authority have combined forces to promote bird watching. Coinciding with the World […]
Kenya aviation breaking news – KQ takes delivery of another E190
KENYA AIRWAYS RECEIVES EIGHTH EMBRAER, CONTINUES EXPANSION Another Embraer E190 joined the growing KQ fleet overnight, when the latest bird arrived in Nairobi and was taxied to the Embakasi base of The Pride of Africa. Registered as 5Y KYR the new aircraft will shortly be deployed across the East and Southern African skies, soon to […]
Kenya breaking news – Major fire outbreak at Kenya Pipeline depot kills scores in Nairobi
TRAGEDY STRIKES NAIROBI A major fire near or at a Kenya Pipeline Company depot in the industrial area on the outskirts of Nairobi has claimed dozens of lives according to breaking news from Kenyas capital. As the fire brigade is deploying in full force to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to other […]
Kenya tourism news – Gamewatchers / Porini offer ‘mobility’
GAMEWATCHERS / PORINI OFFER MOBILITY IN THEIR CONSERVANCIES Gamewatcher Safaris and Porini Safari Camps have launched a mobile tented operation, which is available during certain times of the year, currently between July and October. Comprising 6 dome tents, which sleep up to two guests at a time, they are located on their Selenkay Conservancy outside […]
More News about Africa – check this out
E-NEWS FROM THE REGION Many readers of my regular weekly roundup or even those following me on Twitter or are connected via LinkedIn or Facebook where all my blog articles are cross loaded to reach more and more people interested in Eastern Africa and Indian Ocean events, keep asking for :where can we read more. […]
