East African aviation news – EAC meets aviation stakeholders in Kigali
AVIATION STAKEHOLDERS MEET IN KIGALI An East African Community sponsored meeting of aviation regulators and operators in Kigali was on Friday discussing the way forward to finally harmonize all regulations governing the industry and liberalise air transport across the five East African Community member states. Air operators have for long called the bluff of the […]
Kenya aviation news update – Etihad announces April 2012 date with Nairobi
LAST OF THE GULF GIANTS FINALLY ADDS NAIROBI Information was confirmed overnight that Etihad, the last of the airline ‘Big Boys’ from the Gulf region, is now finally also set to add Nairobi to their growing network, following in the footsteps of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air. Etihad is due to commence daily flights […]
South Sudan news update – New ISD code for RoSS is ‘211’
NEW INTERNATION DIALING CODE / INTERNET DOMAIN FOR SOUTH SUDAN It was learned overnight that the International Telecommunications Union has allocated the country code 211 to the new Republic of South Sudan, which will become effective on the 15th of December this year. Until then the currently used 249 code will remain in place, which […]
Kenya tourism breaking news – KTB Chairman Michael Joseph ‘deserts’
KENYA TOURIST BOARD CHAIRMAN ‘DESERTS’ Michael Joseph, appointed less than 9 months ago as Chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, was yesterday reported to have quit his job for ‘greener pastures’, after landing himself a World Bank appointment, richer in pickings for sure than serving Kenya’s tourism sector as chair of the tourist board. Joseph, […]
Uganda conservation news – Gorilla killers fined less than 20 US Dollars each
GORILLA KILLERS FINED LESS THAN 20 DOLLARS The Kanungu magistrate’s court has come into the cross hairs of conservationists from Uganda and further abroad, when in a misguided act of sentencing it fined three professed gorilla killers 50.000 Uganda Shillings each, which is less than US Dollars 20, yes TWENTY. Gorilla tracking is one of […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region, Second edition August 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 Second edition August 2011 Uganda […]
Seychelles news update – Scandinavia gets closer to ‘Seychelles – Another World’
SCANDINAVIANS ‘GET CLOSER’ TO SEYCHELLES The start yesterday of nonstop flights between Dubai and Copenhagen by Emirates, Dubai’s award winning airline, has brought the Creole Island Paradise of Seychelles much closer to Scandinavian travelers. Copenhagen, easily accessible from across Denmark but also from Norway and Sweden, and not too far from Finland, will now every […]
Rwanda news update – Gadaffi’s Libya gets another ‘slap’
GADAFFI LIBYA GETS ANOTHER SLAP FROM RWANDA Gadaffi’s business empire in Africa faces yet further disruption when news emerged from Rwanda that government in Kigali is set to seek bids to sell the Umubano Hotel, formerly the Laico Umubano Hotel. Rwanda was one of the first countries in Africa to fully implement the sanctions imposed […]
Tanzania news update – TANAPA, Insanity or a case of tourism murder/suicide
TANAPA’S LATEST – INSANITY OR A CASE OF TOURISM MURDER / SUICIDE Disturbing news emerged from Tanzania that scores of tourist vehicles were kept at gates earlier this week, while attempting to enter various national parks and that aircraft trying to take off from park airstrips were prevented to leave by TANAPA staff, […]
Kenya aviation news – Loki gathers dust as traffic shifts to JKIA
LOKI GATHERING DUST AS TRAFFIC SHIFTS TO JKIA Once the main gateway into occupied and wartorn South Sudan, a key supply base for the United Nations aid organizations and a multitude of NGO’s, Lokichoggio has since the signing of the CPA in January 2005 seen a remarkable reverse in fortunes. During the early years of […]
Kenya aviation news – What plans for ‘Jambo Jet’ by Kenya Airways
LET THE AIR WARS COMMENCE Kenya Airways confirmed earlier this week that they registered a new business name ‘Jambo Jet’, generally perceived to be the national airline’s answer to increasing low cost operations across Kenya and the wider East African region. KQ has already locked horns with companies like Jetlink or Fly 540 over their […]
Uganda news update – Kangaroo court after all???
KANGAROO COURT AFTER ALL ??? Few have dared so far to take retired Supreme Court Justice George Kanyeihamba to task over his acid outbursts, if not outright declaration of ‘guilt’ towards witnesses brought before the UWA Commission of Enquiry, but for the former Chairman of UWA enough was enough. He reportedly wrote to the Minister […]
Uganda news update – Darkness persists
PAY UP OR SIT IN DARKNESS Parliament was once again told by the energy minister earlier this week that the country would continue to suffer extensive power rationing until at least December this year, when units 1 and 2 of the new Bujagali hydroelectric plant are expected to be fully on line and in production. […]
Uganda news update – Bad news for CHOGM thieves
BAD NEWS FOR CHOGM THIEVES Civil society activists and anti corruption groups celebrated an intermediate victory yesterday when the Constitutional Court of Uganda handed down their verdict, that former Vice President Dr. Gilbert Bukenya could after all be prosecuted by the Inspector General of Government and did not enjoy the privilege of immunity from prosecution […]
Rwanda news update – Libyan hotel asset to be ‘sold off’
GADAFFI LIBYA GETS ANOTHER SLAP FROM RWANDA Gadaffi’s business empire in Africa faces yet further disruption when news emerged from Rwanda that government in Kigali is set to seek bids to sell the Umubano Hotel, formerly the Laico Umubano Hotel. Rwanda was one of the first countries in Africa to fully implement the sanctions imposed […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, First edition August 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 First edition August 2011 […]
Seychelles tourism news update – New free visitor map now available
LATEST EDITION OF POPULAR VISITOR GUIDE MAP LAUNCHED ‘Seychelles In Your Pocket’ has just launched the 08th edition of its hugely popular ‘pocket map’ earlier this week, providing visitors to the archipelago with the very latest information and literally all there is to know about how to get around the Seychelles. The main guide, now […]
Kenya aviation news – KQ releases first quarter results
KENYA AIRWAYS RELEASES FIRST QUARTER RESULTS Following the good news given only weeks ago when the full year results were published by ‘The Pride of Africa’ in Nairobi, the trend seems to continue with the release of first quarter data for the financial year 2011 / 2012. European capacity grew by a staggering 26.3 percent […]
Tanzania aviation news – Zanzibar to get an own airport authority
ZANZIBAR TO GET OWN AIRPORT AUTHORITY Once Zanzibari president Ali Shein has put his signature on two bills passed by the Zanzibar House of Representatives a new Zanzibar Airport Authority will become reality, supposed to be taking charge of the main airport on Unguja island – commonly but incorrectly referred to as ‘Zanzibar’ – the […]
Uganda hospitality news – Sheraton offers daily ‘Iftar’ meal
SHERATON OFFERS DAILY ‘IFTAR’ FEAST During the entire Holy Month of Ramadan has the Sheraton Kampala Hotel set aside a prayer room for the Muslim faithful, which can be used by those then breaking their daily fast together with an Iftar feast, laid on especially to allow families and friends to enjoy their evening meal […]
Uganda conservation news – UWA releases confiscated African Grey’s
AFRICAN GREY PARROTS RELEASED Last week saw the release of most of the African Grey parrots, which were confiscated by UWA and customs officials at the Mpondwe border post between Uganda and Congo DR last year. Initially kept at the Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe, where they were assessed and as necessary received veterinary treatment, […]
Kenya tourism news – Less domestic travel anticipated during Ramadan
AUGUST RAMADAN EXPECTED TO IMPACT ON DOMESTIC TRAVEL ACROSS THE REGION The annual summer holiday of local schools is underway in Kenya, but unlike in other years marked by the onset of the Holy Month of Ramadan earlier this week. Hoteliers along the Kenya coast traditionally bank of domestic travel during the school holidays, when […]
Seychelles election update – Constitutional Court goes into vacation mode, elections to go ahead?
ELECTIONS ON COURSE AS COURT GOES ON VACATION Unlike after the first dissolution of parliament, when the Seychelles Constitutional Court almost immediately sat and passed judgment on the suit brought by the opposition SNP, ordering parliament to be restored as the resolution for dissolution had lacked in format, the same court no longer saw the […]
Tanzania news update – Power shortage bites, wipes out hotel profits
GIVE US TAX RELIEF FOR FUEL HOTELIERS DEMAND A high level meeting yesterday in Dar es Salaam by officials of the Hotel Association of Tanzania resulted in government being told to allow immediate tax and excise relief of at least 20 percent on fuel used to run generators or else risk condemning the sector to […]
Kenya aviation news – KAA is misleading public over vandalism claims
NOW KAA BLAMES VANDALISM The Kenya Airport Authority only managed to pour more fuel into the fire of discontent over their dismal performance of late, when their Managing Director yesterday blamed vandals for the power outages. ‘The man is not only incompetent, and his staff responsible are incompetent too, now they are also lying to […]
East Africa / Gulf aviation news – Kuala Lumpur next for Emirates A 380
EMIRATES ADDS KUALA LUMPUR AS 15TH A380 DESTINATION The Kampala office of Emirates has confirmed that come December the route to Kuala Lumpur will be served with the A 380 sky giant from Dubai. Many Ugandans, and in fact East Africans are studying in Malaysia in one of their many universities and lots of them […]
South Sudan news – EAC and Nile Basin membership quest supported by Rwanda
RWANDA BACKS SOUTH SUDAN FOR EAC AND NILE BASIN MEMBERSHIP Rwanda officially went on record yesterday when expressing their support to the new Republic of South Sudan in their bid to join the Nile Basin Commission and the East African Community, amongst other bodies the new country is set to apply to for membership. […]
Rwanda aviation news – Turkish announces April 2012 flights to Kigali
TURKISH ANNOUNCES APRIL 2012 FLIGHTS TO KIGALI Turkish Airlines has yesterday announced their intention to begin flights between Istanbul and Kigali by April next year. The information was given in Kigali by the THY Chief Executive Dr. Temel Kotil when he met with President Paul Kagame. It was also announced that cooperation between RwandAir and […]
East Africa news update – Power companies blamed for lack of foresight / planning
ELECTRICITY SHORTAGES EXPOSE WOEFUL STATE OF PLANNING As the East African region continues to suffer from unacceptable and entirely avoidable power cuts business and civil society leaders are ganging up against power companies and government oversight bodies and ministries, demanding answers why such outages should hit the region with a regularity, stemming from negligence and […]
Ethiopian aviation news – ET gets 5th B777-200LR
ETHIOPIAN TAKES DELIVERY OF 5TH NEW B777 A brand new B777-200LR has last weekend joined the Ethiopian fleet, the fifth such aircraft. The airline also kept the tradition to name these ‘birds’ after landmarks in Africa, the latest being christened ‘Sahara’. The sister ships already in operation were named Blue Nile, Rift Valley, Victoria Falls […]
