Tourism CS Najib Balala and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho at a past event. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Tourism CS Najib Balala has pledged to support Mombasa Governor Hassan in cleaning the county in a bid to promote local and international tourism. Speaking on Saturday at the Port of Mombasa where he welcomed over 640 passengers and 320 crew members who were on board the MS Nautica Cruise ship, Balala said poor garbage collection in the coastal city is hurting the tourism sector. Mombasa is expected to host the Skal International Congress at Pride Inn Hotel next year.The conference was pushed from October 2015 to 2018 after Western nations issued travel advisories to their citizens.Balala said the country risks losing the hosting rights if the issue of hygiene is not resolved.“We should do damage control quickly before we get cancellations,” said Balala, as quoted by The Star.Balala, however, hailed Joho for the manner in which he was handling the recent outbreak of cholera in the county.“I am impressed with the way the governor is handling the cholera issue,” said Balala.On his part, Environment executive Godfrey Nato has assured the residents that the county government has plans to establish a five-year plan that will ensure efficient garbage collection in the county.The Mombasa county government has been put on the spot on several occasions over poor waste management.