Kandie pledges to up Western tourism

East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie completed her four-day tour of the Western tourism circuit with the message that idle tourist sites in the region would be revived in collaboration with respective counties.

The tour ended yesterday in Kakamega, where she watched the famed bull fighting at Malinya market, engaged potters at Ilesi market, before getting a glimpse of the Crying Stone a few kilometres from Kakamega town.

“My ministry planned this tour six months ago with the aim of accessing products for tourism that range from home stays, agri-tourism and cultural tourism. We want to liven this western circuit so that we get local and international tourists visiting,” she told the press at Golf Hotel Kakamega after the tour.

Kandie regretted that potential tourism cites in the region were left unattended, citing the Crying Stone which she said had an inaccessible road leading to it yet it boasts world fame.

Wanting bed-capacity

“I watched the new breed of bull fighters who we took to Spain for training and the game has improved; it is becoming professional and we want to export it to areas like Nairobi. I also realised accessing the Crying Stone is tough,” the Cabinet Secretary said.

Kenya focuses much on beach and safari products, with local tourism circuits like the one in Kakamega being left unattended.

The hotel industry is less developed in regions outside the Coast and Safari tourism areas within the area. “We encourage people with big homes to convert them to tourist sites because we have a wanting bed-capacity in this region,” she said.

Kakamega Tourism Executive Elsie Muhanda said the county is working with locals to protect tourist sites in the area.

“We are planning to build an eco-lounge in Kakamega forest to absorb the rising number of tourists,” she said.