CS Najib Balala [The Standard]
Following Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala’s trip to climb Mount Kenya the hotel industry is keeping a keen eye on the trip in hopes that it will help boost the industry.
Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) Mount Kenya region chairman Edward Wangechi says the prolonged election period has taken a toll on the industry.
He says hotels in the area are currently operating with an average of 10 per cent and 20 per cent. Earlier this year he noted that tourism in the area had been greatly affected by ranch invasions which took place in Laikipia.
“Normally, hotels, lodges and camps in the Mount Kenya circuit depend on tourist flow from the Kenya Coast, but the numbers have dipped due to the political uncertainty,” he said.
Wangechi says as a result many hotels have been struggling financially and have had to cut on costs.
“Some hotels and lodges have been unable to pay their employees for the last two or three months. Some facilities are scaling down operations while others are contemplating to lay off workers to cut down operational costs,” he said.