KENYA’S TOURISM CABINET SECRETARY NAJIB BALALA PRAISES ELECTION CONDUCT WHILE APPEALING TO CONTINUED RESPECT AND PEACE
(Posted 14th August 2017)
STATEMENT ON KENYA’S 2017 GENERAL ELECTIONS
Now that the 2017 General Elections are over, the Ministry wishes to state the following:
1. We thank the Kenyan people for peacefully voting during the just-concluded General Elections, which the international community has observed were conducted in a credible, free, fair and transparent manner by IEBC.
2. We congratulate H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta and H.E. Deputy President William Ruto for being re-elected for a second term to lead our great nation to greater prosperity.
3. We thank the opposition for making the contest worthwhile, with the Kenyan people and democracy being the ultimate winners.
4. We also thank our local media for reporting objectively on the General Elections and urge the international media to follow suit. Let them portray the true picture of Kenya, which is that only a few pockets of protests have been witnessed and the country is not on fire.
5. It is now time to reconcile our people, rebuild our country by all of us pulling together in one direction. Let us work harder to improve our economy for the benefit of all wananchi.
6. Our tourism sector is very sensitive to any instability or insecurity. We, therefore, urge our political leaders to guard against any remarks or actions that may jeopardize the gains made in this industry. Perception of insecurity and protests show our destination as insecure, thus scaring away visitors.
7. We are now in the high tourism season, when we receive high numbers of international visitors. Let us avoid denting the Magical Kenya Brand through negative remarks and activities.
8. Again, our schools and institutions of higher learning are all on holiday or recess. We encourage them and other Kenyans to take advantage of the break and Tembea Kenya to sample our tourist attractions and boost our industry.
9. In the same spirit, we request our tourism stakeholders to consider offering Kenyan-friendly packages to encourage more Kenyans to tour our country. I commend the efforts of the coastal tourism stakeholders for creating packages through the newly-launched Madaraka Express. I urge other regions to come up with more innovative itineraries.
10. Kenya still remains a destination of choice for many travellers. We boast of the authentic Safari, which at this high season is spiced by the wondrous Maasai Mara wildlife migration.
11. We invite more international visitors to Magical Kenya to sample our diverse and unique tourism products.
12. Kenya is open for serious business and all investors are welcome to invest here.
13. Every Kenyan has an obligation to keep the peace and ensure a welcoming environment for our visitors, in order to grow our economy and create jobs for our people.
KARIBUNI KENYA NA TUDUMISHE AMANI!
