By Kipchumba Kemei

Conservationists have welcomed the Government decision to freeze development of tourist facilities in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

The Government made the move until a long-term management plan, for the ecosystem is formulated.

The tourism industry feels the current congestion in the game reserve is hurting the world famous resort.

But the four years old decision has also led to a serious shortage of decent accommodation for visitors, especially during peak season.

The number of tourists visiting the Mara has gone up.

This is so especially after the annual wildebeest migration from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania across the Mara River into Kenya was named the Seventh Wonder of the World, three years ago.

But the facilities have stagnated, a fact that might force a Government re-think of the blanket ban.

Over the last 15 years, there has been haphazard development of lodges and camps, settlements and trading centres outside the gate.

Kenya Tourism Federation has in the past, accused National Environment Management Authority (Nema) of allowing construction of several camps within the reserve without following the regulations.

They claim it has licensed several camps near Mara River in contravention of environment laws.

The annual wildebeest migration attracks thousands of tourists to the Mara Game Reserve. Photo: File/Standard

But investors who have built the facilities accuse the federation of trying to monopolise business in the reserve.

"Those who are complaining are against the entry of the locals into the tourism industry. Nema should shun the protest and allow more local investments," says Mr Charles Nampaso of Koyaki group ranch.

A Government report commissioned three years ago, says the Mara has more than 60 lodges and camps and an environmental impact assessment shows they are exerting pressure on the fragile ecosystem.

The build-up along the Mara River, source of water for both human and game, the report adds, has led to pollution.

Solid waste and poisonous effluent from these facilities are discharged into the river.

Most tourist facilities are in the form of group ranches and dispersal areas where owners have leased land to private companies and individuals.

The report also paints a grim future for the Maasai Mara as a popular tourist destination.

A taskforce comprising officials from Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Local Government Ministry, Kenya Wildlife Society, Transmara and Narok county councils, compiled the report.

It says unplanned permanent settlements near the park entrances like Sekenani, Ololaimutia, Talek and Mararianda markets also threaten the reserve.

Despite being an eyesore the markets and illegal structures pose a security threat.

It accuses the council of going overboard while allocating plots in the reserve.

Besides congestion, infrastructure in the reserve is in deplorable state.

Access roads are impassable, especially during the rain season. Further, destruction of Mau Forest has led to a severe water shortage in the reserve.

The report says Narok and Transmara county councils lack capacity to manage the reserve in the long-term.

It recommends a five-year strategic plan to manage the ecosystem, which should reflect world-class practices.

Most congestion is found on the Narok side of the reserve.

On the Trans Mara side, the five-year-old Mara Conservancy and the county council regulate establishment of resorts.

Consequently, Nema says it will not conduct any new environmental impact assessment survey until a long-term plan is developed. Nema, however, says it will review submitted reports, but does not give a time frame.

The Tourism Ministry while announcing the ban on new developments in Mara, said the reserve is congested.

It said a committee had been formed to draw up guidelines on construction within and outside the 1,510-square kilometre ecosystem.

But nothing has been heard of the committee, three years down the line.

And Tourism Minister Najib Balala, while launching construction of Ol-Keju Ronkai camp, last year, said the Government would raise bed-capacity in the Mara in line with Vision 2030.

Culture and National Heritage Minister William ole Ntimama warns that if Government does nothing to curb degradation of the larger Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, the country’s relationship with Tanzania may become strained.

He also says it would hurt the future of the Mara and the tourism industry.

The situation, he says, got worse with flawed environmental policies.

"There is an urgent need to save Mau Forest from imminent depletion.

"If that does not happen, the economies of Kenya, Tanzania and countries in the Nile Basin might collapse," he warns.

The Narok North MP also says the Mara Game Reserve is an important foreign exchange earner.

Narok County Council Vice-Chairman David Togom says they are liaising with everybody concerned to save the reserve.