KENYA’S BUDGET CRITICIZED FOR LACK OF FOCUS ON TOURISM
(Posted 15th June 2014)
Financial analysts were united in their opinion, when reviewing the budget estimates presented to Kenya’s parliament last Thursday, that the tourism sector was largely overlooked and little of substance was said by the Cabinet Secretary as to concrete financial measures to help boost the industry and revive its flagging fortunes.
Industry stakeholders too expressed their disappointment, in some cases outright anger, claiming their government was all about talk and little action with special focus of the comments centered on the Cabinet Secretary overseeing tourism, who stands again accused of not putting up a fight for one of Kenya’s most important economic sectors. Specifically mentioned were the accumulation of duties, including trade and East African Community Affairs, which tourism stakeholder increasingly feel prevents due attention to their problems and finding and implementing solutions which can halt the decline.
‘When Kenyatta announced measures recently to help the tourism industry, stakeholders were quickly pointing out that it was a start but much more needed to be done. The budget’s silence on tourism speaks for itself. If they think that handing down 200 million shillings is enough and we will like schoolchildren sit down and be content with a sweet, they are very much mistaken. It is a crying shame that tourism and conservation are treated the way they are because these two are cornerstones of Kenya’s economy. If Kenyatta thinks that his first year was difficult, let him wait how things pan out in his second year. We want a firm commitment from government that KTB is not merged but made the lead agency in a new tourism authority. My colleagues and I agree that expenditure in government must be trimmed. Start by merging those stand-alone parastatals into a tourism authority and have it overseen by one single ministry which brings tourism and conservation together. The environment secretary is a failure as far as anti-poaching is concerned. Our two largest tuskers were killed in the space of two weeks on Mt. Kenya and in Tsavo exposing her failure and the failure of KWS. There is rot in this government starting from the head. We need a man like Balala to come back and give tourism a confidence boost. Wakhungu and Kandie [Kenya’s
cabinet members responsible for wildlife conservation and tourism respectively] simply are not cut out to do that job. We all remember how Balala fought for his ministry’s budget in the Kibaki government and that is what we need now. How much more damage does this government allow to happen to the tourism industry before the act decisively. KWS needs another Leakey and Tourism needs a new flagbearer and now would be the best time to start’ exploded a regular Nairobi based contributor on Saturday when the analysis of the national budget was all over the newspapers and television channels. Certainly fodder for thought and demonstrating that while the private sector stands together, the government seems to be living on a different planet, divorced from reality and once more found wanting.
