KITILI MBATHI APPOINTED KENYA TOURIST BOARD CHAIRMAN
Well known banker, and during his successful time in Uganda as CEO of Stanbic Bank a close acquaintance of this correspondent, Kitili Mbathi was yesterday afternoon introduced to the public as the new Chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board by Najib Balala, Minister of Tourism in the Kenya government.
Kitili succeeds Michael Joseph, who prematurely left this appointment within half a year after bagging a highly lucrative World Bank appointment, leaving KTB in the proverbial lurch.
KTB more recently also saw new board members being introduced, beefing up competence at board level, and some of the new faces like Serenas CEO Mahmud Janmohamed, Mombasa Air Safaris CEO Capt. Johnny Cleave and widely respected audit guru Abdul Samji from Mombasa are likely to bring a fresh wind and professional perspectives to the organization during their term of office, fully understanding what it takes to market Kenyas attractions abroad.
Kitilis appointment comes at a trying time for Kenya tourism, suffering of negative publicity over the abduction of two foreigners from remoter parts of the coast far away from the mainstream tourism resorts of Malindi and Mombasa but it will take a combined effort of persuading the overseas tour operators that security measures now finally taken will stick and not sizzle out all too soon, before the Somali situation has been brought under control.
From this correspondent it is a warm welcome to Kitili on his new appointment and all the best to him and his colleagues in turning Kenyas tourism industry into the best performing economic sector in coming years.
