Tourism Ministry, Centum bank on Sh130m drive to transform Mt Kenya into global adventure destination

 

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano and Centum Foundation formalised the agreement in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Tourism Board. [Brian Ngugi, Standard]

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and the Centum Foundation have signed a strategic partnership to raise Sh130 million ($1 million) to transform Mt Kenya into a globally competitive adventure tourism destination while protecting the mountain's critical water catchment, the two organisations said in a joint statement on Friday.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano and Centum Foundation formalised the agreement in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).

The partnership follows a series of engagements with the Magical Kenya rebranding taskforce, led by MaryAnn Musangi, which explored ways to strengthen Kenya's international tourism positioning and unlock Mount Kenya's potential as a global adventure tourism destination.

The Friends of Mount Kenya Initiative is a five-year programme hosted by the Centum Foundation. It aims to mobilise $1 million (Sh130 million) toward upgrading the mountain's tourism infrastructure, strengthening safety and rescue capabilities, improving visitor facilities, supporting conservation and expanding economic opportunities for surrounding communities.

The initiative will initially prioritise practical interventions in mountain connectivity, trail marking, sanitation, emergency response, visitor information and guide and porter development, before progressing to larger infrastructure investments.

Under the agreement, the Centum Foundation, working alongside corporate organisations, development partners, conservation institutions and local communities, will lead resource mobilisation, programme coordination, governance and impact reporting.

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife will provide strategic policy leadership, while KWS will support the identification and implementation of priority interventions within its conservation and park management mandate.

KTB, through Magical Kenya, will support destination positioning and international tourism promotion.

"The initiative will initially prioritise practical interventions in mountain connectivity, trail marking, sanitation, emergency response, visitor information and guide and porter development, before progressing to larger infrastructure investments," said Fred Murimi, Managing Partner at Centum Capital Partners and a trustee of the Centum Foundation.

Mount Kenya is Africa's second-highest mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landmark or area officially recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.

The designation carries global prestige, but also obligations for conservation.

The mountain is more than a tourist attraction. Its water catchment supports more than seven million people, meaning the rivers and rainfall that originate on its slopes supply water for drinking, farming and industry across a vast swathe of the country.

A water catchment is an area of land where all rainfall drains into a common river system, lake or underground aquifer.

Mount Kenya's catchment feeds major rivers including the Tana and Ewaso Nyiro, which power hydroelectric dams and irrigate farmland downstream.

The mountain also underpins agriculture, energy generation and livelihoods across the region, making its conservation a matter of national economic security, not just environmental stewardship.

Economic scenarios developed for the initiative indicate that raising annual visitation to 100,000 could support between Sh4.4 billion and Sh6.6 billion in annual tourism expenditure, create between 5,300 and 7,800 direct and indirect jobs, generate between Sh660 million and Sh1.05 billion in government revenue, and produce between Sh890 million and Sh1.55 billion in revenues for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Direct jobs are positions created within tourism businesses themselves, hotels, tour operators, guiding services. Indirect jobs are those generated in the supply chain, food suppliers, transport providers, equipment manufacturers.

Both matter because they spread the economic benefit beyond the immediate tourism sector.

The partners cautioned that these are potential long-term outcomes, subject to investment, market growth and further validation, rather than guaranteed results.

An annual Friends of Mount Kenya Summit will serve as a flagship platform for mobilising investment, showcasing progress and strengthening Kenya's position in the global adventure tourism market.

Adventure tourism refers to travel that combines physical activity, cultural exchange and interaction with nature, typically involving trekking, mountaineering, rafting or similar activities. It is one of the fastest-growing segments of the global travel industry and tends to attract higher-spending visitors than traditional beach or safari tourism.

The initiative will also leverage a planned 2027 Mount Everest expedition by Kenyan mountaineer Martin Mumo, who serves as programme ambassador for the Friends of Mount Kenya Initiative.

The expedition is intended to showcase Kenya's mountaineering potential, raise global awareness of Mount Kenya and mobilise strategic partnerships and investment.

Mumo summited Ama Dablam in Nepal in November 2025, one of the world's most technically demanding high-altitude peaks.

He is the youngest African to conquer the mountain, the 4th African ever to do so, and the 3rd Kenyan to achieve this feat. He has said he aims to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks.

Through the collaboration, the ministry and its partners aim to establish a sustainable platform for transforming Mount Kenya into a globally competitive mountain tourism destination, delivering measurable benefits through job creation, increased tourism receipts, stronger local enterprises, enhanced conservation and greater economic participation by surrounding communities.

The initiative comes as Kenya seeks to diversify its tourism offering beyond traditional wildlife safaris, which have long dominated the sector.

Mount Kenya's potential as a global adventure destination, positioned alongside peaks in Tanzania, Nepal and South America, remains largely untapped, with annual visitor numbers well below the mountain's carrying capacity.

The mountain currently draws roughly 15,000 visitors a year, a fraction of Kilimanjaro's numbers.