Tourists attending Lamu cultural festival. Beach operators at the Coast have been accused of mugging tourists. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Beach operators in the Coast region have been accused of stealing from tourists who have been visiting the region.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector said cases of tourists being mugged by beach operators commonly known as beach boys in Lamu is on the increase.
Led by Mr Alwy Mohamed, the stakeholders said if the trend continues, tourists will stop visiting the region for fear of being attacked and mugged.
Speaking on Tuesday in Lamu, Mr Mohamed claimed that beach operators had been luring unsuspecting tourists to deserted places where they rob them of all their valuables and cash.
“Many tourists have reported having been robbed or mugged or even duped by beach operators and we feel the trend is getting out of hand and needs to be arrested.”
“The situation is painting Lamu in a bad light and we are also concerned that tourists might get scared of visiting Lamu if it doesn’t stop. If that happens the tourism sector will suffer and the people of Lamu too,” said Mr Mohamed.
Lamu county director for Trade and Tourism Ali Ahmed who confirmed the incidents said it’s not just in Lamu but they have received similar cases in the entire coastal region.
Mr Ahmed said his office has received cases of beach operators using illegal means to obtain money and other favors from unsuspecting tourists.
He however said that his office is working on several strategies including training beach operators on how to handle tourists coming into Lamu and also ensuring that all those interested in becoming beach operators are registered and accorded a license to operate by the tourism office so as to make it easy to track any culprits in case of any complaints.
“Cases of tourists being robbed or mugged or even duped aren’t unique to Lamu. They are all over. In Lamu, we are however doing all we can to take care of the situation so that tourists can enjoy their stay in Lamu. We shall only allow those registered and licensed by our office to operate as beach operators,” said Mr Ahmed as quoted by Baraka FM.